Rogue One A Star Wars Story: More Than One Sort of Prison
by Genevieve Kelly
Summary: Both Jyn and Cassian mysteriously survive the Death Star's blast that destroyed Scarif, though their fight isn't over. Cassian is gravely wounded after Krennic shot him and caused him to fall from the data tower. Now Jyn has to find a way to save Cassian still and is forced to make a deal with dangerous smugglers to get her and Cassian off the planet before the Empire finds them.
1. Chapter 1

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter One

Alliance Headquarters on Yavin 4…

The council members who formed the heads of the Alliance gathered together once again hours after the surviving rebels of the great battle on Scarif returned to their base to mourn the loss of all who died fighting to steal the Death Star plans from the Empire. Among them stood one of the Rebellion's founders, Mon Mothma, General Draven, all who fought and survived the battle, as well as the rebels who didn't, then waited for the Chief of State to speak in honor of their dead.

The woman in white robes raised her hands to quiet all gathered around her and then spoke softly in reverence saying, "Many warriors died today in order to bring a new hope to our rebellion. They bravely fought a battle which we didn't plan on. A battle many of us didn't agree upon. But it was a battle that was necessary if we are to finally succeed in destroying the mighty Empire once and for all. And in the end we succeeded in getting those plans that are now safely in the hands of Princess Leia Organa, who is currently on her way to find an ally with the power to help us against our enemy."

Mon Mothma paused a moment when the sadness she felt over their major loss briefly threatened to overwhelm her, then she continued, "This was possible because of a small team who called themselves Rogue One. They rebelled against this council's orders because it was what was right, despite the number of casualties we sustained. This team was led by one of our own, Captain Cassian Andor of Rebel Intelligence and the daughter of the Imperial science officer imperative to the building and possible destruction of the Death Star, Jyn Erso. Captain Andor's droid, K-2SO, along with two of Jedha's temple guardians, Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus, and former Imperial pilot, Bodhi Rook also led the band of rebels. Another battle above Scarif took place while the others fought below, a battle that was led by Admiral Raddus to take down the planet's shield gate so that the plans could be transmitted from Scarif's surface to our fleets. Most of them have been killed, slaughtered by the Empire. And we fear that all of Rogue One have died upon the Death Star's ignition of its superweapon upon the planet. We owe these men and women many thanks for their ultimate sacrifice."

"We may now have the plans that might allow us to take down this planet killer, but there is no guarantee that we will be successful in this endeavor," one of the councilmen who had initially opposed Jyn's plea to send the rebel fleet to retrieve the plans responded in anger. "What if Princess Leia and this mysterious ally you refuse to name fail and the plans fall back into the hands of the Empire?"

"What if the Star Destroyer that took out the majority of our fleets pursues after the Princess' ship and manages to take her or our men alive?" another of the council members asked sternly, skeptical of the Rebellion's chance for success. "The Empire could learn where we are based and wipe us all out in one fell swoop. Our rebellion would be finished!"

General Draven stood at Mon Mothma's side in the rogues' defense as he answered firmly, "We have to believe that Princess Organa will do what is necessary to ensure that that won't happen. Despite my objections to his defiance of his orders, I believed in Captain Andor's ability to get the task done that was required of him and together he and Jyn Erso succeeded in the impossible."

Mon Mothma smiled at the General as she understood what Draven was saying and finished for him replying, "Well said, General. We must believe that Rogue One's strength and courage lies within all of those who fight with us against the Empire. We must have faith in the Force. We will succeed in their defeat. But this moment is not the right moment to dwell on the war between Rebellion and Empire. Soon, but now is the time to show our appreciation to those who gave their lives and to mourn their loss. To Rogue One and all the rest who fought in today's battle. We thank you for your courage and we will miss you."

"To Rogue One, and our rebel warriors!" Draven called out.

"To our warriors!" everyone else in the war room shouted resolutely in unison.

On the beach on Scarif…

Jyn weakly opened her eyes hours after the blast from the Death Star that had turned the Citadel tower and beach into ash and ruin, though she had yet to gain any sense of time or of anything else as she struggled to focus and break free from the haze that was clouding her mind while she struggled to move again. How she had managed to survive the planet killer's discharge that destroyed everything else around her for miles, she didn't know. Perhaps the Force was more powerful than she initially believed, as was the kyber crystal she wore around her neck.

As she started to sit up against her body's protests, Jyn suddenly felt a heavy weight pinning her left side to the ground and she looked over to find the man who had miraculously found the strength to come back to save her again from being killed by the villain in white responsible for both her father's and her mother's deaths, despite her having watched the rebel Captain fall several feet against the metal beams and grate supporting the weight of the data tower they climbed to get onto the outer platform after he had been shot by the Imperial's blaster.

Because his eyes were closed tight and his skin was deathly pale, Jyn feared Cassian wasn't lucky enough to survive the wave of fire that had consumed them as they embraced one another, as she had been. While she knew Kay was destroyed protecting his friends as he would have done without Cassian's orders for him to do so, and suspected that Bodhi, Chirrut, and Baze had also been killed as well, Cassian's death hit her the hardest, both now and before when she was forced to watch him fall from the tower as she believed he had died then too.

After all Cassian's done for her despite the cruel words she had spat at him on their way back from Eadu, he still saved her more than once since they met days ago. He was right then that he didn't have to talk his way around his acceptance of his order to kill her father. He had disobeyed the order and would have done everything he could to save Galen Erso if he could have. Cassian Andor was no stormtrooper as she told him he was. He was in fact a hero to her even if he couldn't believe so himself.

Jyn's hand shook as she touched her fingers to Cassian's face, then his neck and almost cried out with joy when she felt a pulse, even though it was a faint one. While the pain she felt from her own minor injuries was difficult, she knew that the agony Cassian had suffered in his fall from the data tower and then having to climb back up to get back to her despite that agony was much worse. She remembered having to take on more and more of his weight against her the further they walked away from the tower until he finally collapsed at the shore's edge.

But he was alive and it was now up to her to keep him so. First she needed to find a way to get them off of Scarif and find a nearby planet where she could get him the help she could see he so desperately needed, that they both needed. However, the chances of her finding a ship that hadn't been demolished in the blast were even worse than her chance of quickly learning how to fly one. Jyn knew that the only way they were both going to survive now and get off the planet was if someone flew in soon.

She placed both of her hands against the sides of Cassian's face to try to wake him as she whispered fearfully, "Cassian, please… I don't think I can do this alone. I don't want to be alone anymore. The others are gone, but I… I need you. We need to leave this planet before the Empire arrives to scavenge whatever else might have survived the Death Star's blast. That is if we can find a ship. But you need to fly because I can't. Wake up, soldier."

All of a sudden, a voice spoke up from behind Jyn as she swiftly spun around with Cassian's blaster raised and ready to fire despite the pain in her leg and knee, while the stranger took a few steps back and said nervously, "Whoa, whoa. Take it easy there, rebel. I didn't just walk over here to get myself killed."

"Who are you?" Jyn curtly asked, refusing to stand down even though she could see that the man before her wasn't armed with a weapon as far as she could tell. "How are you still alive after that blast? Are you with the Empire?"

"You sure do ask a lot of questions," he responded and then smiled. "No, I'm not with the Empire, nor do I care anything about your Rebellion. I know what you are because of your clothes, not to mention because I heard about the rebel attack on this planet before my partner and I arrived. We're alive because we weren't here yet when whatever weapon had the power to create such destruction fired. And in answer to your first question, I'm a smuggler. We are. Not to mention thieves. It looks to me that you and your unconscious friend there, could use our help."

She didn't trust the stranger, as she saw a greedy look in his eyes when he looked between her and Cassian, but she knew that he was right and so she cautiously lowered the blaster in her hands, holstered it on her own belt, then she answered sternly, "You're right. We do need your help. But something tells me you're not going to help us without some sort of payment exchange. I don't have money, or even credits. We weren't expecting we'd survive this fight. So what do you want for safe transport off this planet, for me and my friend? Also whatever medical supplies you might have?"

The smuggler chortled and then replied, "That there crystal hanging around your neck could fetch me a pretty price. My partner and I will give you safe passage off Scarif… and whatever else you want. If not, your wounded friend will be the first one to die on this wasteland."

"This necklace is important to me," Jyn responded worryingly while she looked down on Cassian worryingly and tucked the kyber crystal beneath her shirt. "There must be something else I can give you. Perhaps even forged papers that will allow you and your partner to get around the galaxy easier if you help me get to old friend of mine. No doubt you're wanted for your crimes, either by the Empire or the Alliance, or both."

"And where is this other friend of yours?" the stranger's partner asked when he appeared beside the other man, this time with a blaster trained on Cassian. "Don't test me. You try anything, I will kill him first."

She glared between them as she answered, "It isn't far if your ship can jump to lightspeed. Cloud City."

The first stranger smiled again and replied, "I know it well. You're not the only one with connections there. I say you have yourself a deal, rebel."


	2. Chapter 2

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Two

After their agreement was settled, Jyn glanced in the direction of the second smuggler and waited for him to finally put his blaster away, then she immediately rushed back to Cassian and pulled his arm around her shoulders in an effort to try to lift him off the ground until the first smuggler walked over to help her. Together they carried the wounded rebel leader between them as they made their way back to where the thieves had left the scavenger freight they had come in on.

Once they were onboard, Jyn immediately took all of Cassian's weight upon herself as she took him from the man beside them and carefully laid him against the ship's floor while the thief who helped her sat in the seat across from them so he could keep his eyes on the rebels. The thief more likely to shoot them made his way to the cockpit and immediately got the ship ready to take off, then they were in the air and finally on their way off Scarif.

"So… you have those medical supplies?" she stated as she looked up at the man watching over them.

"There's a kit beneath the seat right beside you," he replied as the young woman reached under to pull the bag out. "You won't find a whole lot in there through. And no bacta patches neither in case you were hoping for a few. We used the last we had and haven't had the chance to replace them or the rest of it yet. What few supplies you see in there is all we've got. He certainly doesn't look too good, does he?"

Jyn glared at him, then she turned back to her task at hand as she responded, "It's all right. You don't know him at all. He'll be fine. At least I have enough here that will last until we can hopefully get him better treatment on Cloud City."

The smuggler didn't say anything and so while she rummaged through the supplies and pulled out what she needed, she changed the subject as she asked, "How did the two of you get yourselves through the Rebel and Imperial ships? There is… or was a war going on just off planet."

"We didn't have to get through anyone," the pilot called back to answer her. "We were already on Scarif conducting our own business, on the other side of the planet."

"We intercepted a few messages from the Empire's fleets as we were preparing to leave until we decided to wait out the fighting," his partner continued. "You must have been unconscious for awhile if you don't know that the battle ended hours ago. Then we heard news that this half of Scarif had been consumed by fire, destroyed by some kind of superweapon. The fire faded a short time ago and we knew it was safe to fly in to see what was left standing. You can't blame us for being curious as to how you and your friend are still alive."

Jyn shook her head and looked at him again as she replied firmly, "I honestly have no idea. I wish I knew."

He looked at her skeptically and responded, "Ah huh. Well, we flew in and landed where the tower once stood. As I'm sure you saw, there was nothing left of it. It's too bad though, I'm sure the Empire stored many secrets there. Did you know that?"

"That was brave of you," she answered curtly, moving on before he could ask her any more questions about how she and Cassian had survived the Death Star's blast, or what their own reason for being there really was. "For all you know, the Empire could have sent their own soldiers to scavenge what's left. If they had, they would have killed you both on spot."

"We were plenty careful," the second smuggler called back once more. "And we're flying back the same way we came in before we jump into hyperspace so that we can hopefully continue to avoid any Imperial, or Rebel ships."

Jyn fell silent as she turned her eyes on Cassian's slack face once more, then gently pulled his upper body against her chest so that she could lift up his blood-soaked shirt to treat his wounds. However, she froze upon seeing what condition his body was really in. His chest and back were covered in bruises from his fall off the data tower, indicating he had multiple broken ribs and possibly worse. She also finally saw the wound in his lower right side where the man in white had shot him, which caused his fall.

Sudden movement from Cassian broke Jyn from her reverie, but when she laid him back down he became still again without even opening his eyes. From the stricken lines on his face, it was clear to her that his pain still reached him through the deep state of unconsciousness he had become trapped in. But his movement meant that he was trying to wake up and what's better, he was still fighting.

The smuggler who found her and Cassian spoke again saying, "He's one tough…"

Without turning away, Jyn swiftly interrupted, "Save it. If you don't mind, I would prefer to do this without any more conversation between you or your partner."

"I was going to ask if you would like some help," he replied smugly, but then sat back against the wall behind him and stretched out as he crossed his arms. "But maybe you do have things under control."

"I'm fine, thank you," she curtly responded. "You'll only be in my way. Look… I'm grateful for you being willing to transport us, but this is between us."

He raised his hands in defeat and rested his head back as well, then closed his eyes to rest. Clearly this thief didn't see her and Cassian as threats like his partner did, for which Jyn was also grateful. Jyn then continued to help the Rebel Captain as she carefully began to wrap the bandages she found around his chest to help keep his ribs more supported. She stopped when she got to the wound and then swiftly tended to the blaster burns and his blood seeping from it the best she could with what little she had.

She raised her head as she asked worryingly, "Do you have any water onboard?"

Without opening his eyes, he shook his head as he answered, "We don't really drink too much water. But there might be a little bit around here somewhere. Try looking under the seat again, mine too. I doubt it'll do him much good though. A fever's begun in 'im. From the look of it, a hot one."

"That's why I was hoping for the water," Jyn replied in frustration after not finding any in the places the smuggler indicated. "I need to try to cool him down before he becomes much worse."

"I'm afraid you're just going to have to wait until we arrive on Cloud City and pray that the citizens there will be as willing to help you as you seem to think they will," the man responded. "By the way, I'm Dax Nox. And my partner's name is Richter Huntley. We're both from Tatooine. And you are?"

She nervously gripped Cassian's hand as she answered, "Hallik. Liana Hallik. I've been to Tatooine once. I don't care to ever go back to be honest."

He smiled again and said in agreement, "Neither do we."


	3. Chapter 3

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Three

After what felt far longer than their trip across the galaxy to their destination should have been, the scavenger ship finally arrived in the space surrounding Cloud City, a large mining colony that had yet to be taken over by the Empire and affected by their wars. Somehow it was a planet of peace, despite the many traders, scoundrels, scavengers, and smugglers or thieves that Jyn knew also found sanctuary thanks to the city's Baron Administrator and biggest smuggler of them all, Lando Calrissian. She knew him to be a schemer and rogue who thought mostly of himself first, but she also liked him and knew that if she could somewhat trust anyone to help her save Cassian and escape from the men in her present company, it was going to be him. She just needed the people who lived on the planet to let their ship land.

The pilot of the two smugglers turned his head to look back towards Jyn and called back again saying coldly, "They're going to be asking for my ship's call sign any minute. I suggest you leave your friend's side one minute and get up here to convince them to let us land."

Jyn nodded and looked up at the other man who moved to sit on the ship's floor on Cassian's other side as he smiled cruelly at her, then she stated, "Don't you touch him. I assure you, I'm not going to do anything that will risk all my efforts to save him or myself."

"I won't, so long as you do your job and not get us arrested or blown out of the sky," he answered snidely, then watched as the young woman stood up weakly, then hobbled her way towards the cockpit.

"Cargo shuttle, this the landing tower," one of the men in charge of letting ships in and out of the planet signaled across the radio, making Jyn jump as her nerves began to get the better of her. "We see your ship. Please announce your call letters and state the reason for you coming into our atmosphere."

Galen Erso's daughter breathed out to calm herself and replied calmly, "Cargo shuttle to tower, we are TW09-07 and we are requesting a landing pad. We are four passengers with a small load of supplies onboard. We've come seeking medical treatment for a wounded pilot. Please… allow us to come in. My name is Liana Hallik. Speak to your Baron Administrator and he'll tell you exactly who I am."

The voice over the radio called out again, "Hold your position please."

"You had me worried for a second," the thief sitting beside Jyn said quietly while they waited for the person on the other end of the signal to return. "But it turns out, you're a gifted liar."

"What about what I told them was a lie?" she asked sternly. "My friend needs help. That's the only reason why I've come."

The man nodded and responded, "You're right. But that isn't the only reason you've come here, is it? You think that these people will protect you from the Empire's wrath should they learn that you and your man have escaped Scarif after the attack you rebels provoked. Either we'll land and remain free and clear, we'll land and become imprisoned, or we'll escape from whatever attack they fire against us should they refuse to let us land at all. But I'm warning you right now, if the later happens or you betray my partner and I in any way, it will be your friend who pays for your lack of judgement. If he doesn't die from his injuries, we will call one of our contacts loyal to the Empire and hand him over to them. I am willing to bet that they'd be very interested to learn how he survived that blast from their superweapon and whatever other knowledge he has hidden inside his mind about your precious Rebellion. Wouldn't they?"

Jyn glared at him as she answered, "I'm not going to turn you in or betray you. As I said, I won't risk his life."

"Cargo shuttle TW09-07, you are clear to land on pad eight," the voice came back once more. "Proceed. Our ships will guide you in. Please follow."

"They're cautious with their colony's security, aren't they?" the smuggler from the back replied as he came up to stand behind the cockpits seats while the three of them saw two jets on both sides of their shuttle flying beside them as the man over the radio said they were doing.

The only woman onboard moved from the seat to go back to Cassian and responded, "They have to be. They give sanctuary to scum like the two of you."

A short time later, Jyn herself cautiously stepped down the ramp from the scavenger ship to the landing pad after they were safely on the ground, then walked slowly towards one of the City's many structures as five men began to walk toward her, then paused and looked behind her as the two smugglers stepped down as well, but remained with the ship. The crueler of them motioned for her to keep going while he raised Cassian's belt he had been wearing on Scarif to taunt her with it, reminding her of his threat against Cassian if she screwed up.

Jyn kept walking forward towards them until the men coming out appeared before her, then one of them stepped out more than the others as he spoke up smugly saying, "Well… I've got to say I really didn't expect I would ever see you again. What exactly brings you back here?"

"I've got a friend onboard our ship who needs medical care," she despondently answered as she looked the man in his eyes. "He's critically injured and if he doesn't get help immediately, he is going to die. Please, Lando. I know that me coming back here isn't ideal, but…"

"Ideal?" Lando scoffed sternly and softened his voice again as he took a few more steps towards her until their faces were inches apart making it so that only she could hear him. "Do you have any idea the kind of bind you're putting me and my people in by you coming here, Jyn?"

She quickly replied, "It's still Liana Hallik as far as anyone else is concerned. And yes, I realize I bring trouble by being here, I know. But I assure you, the Alliance believes we're dead, as does the Empire."

He looked at her in confusion as he responded, "I'm not talking about you being involved with them, only Saw Gerrera. You know I want nothing to do with him and his extremists. Not after he sent several of his soldiers here to my city to cause trouble upon learning you were hiding out here. Wait… Did you join the Rebellion or the Empire since I last saw you? I thought you wanted nothing to do with their war anymore more than I don't?"

"Please, can't we discuss this inside once my friend is taken care of?" the younger woman pleaded, still quietly enough so only Lando could hear her. "He needs a bacta tank if there's any chance of saving him and I… I need to save him. But those men with me, they're dangerous. They were only a means to an end. However, they threatened my friend if I don't help them acquire new identities as you've done for me. I had to promise them something in exchange for helping us off the dead planet we were stranded on. Give them what they want and let them leave, or have them arrested for whatever crimes you might discover on them, I don't care. Just so long as I know they can't hurt my friend."

"Of course," the Baron Administrator answered after he nodded to his men still behind him and gave them orders. "There's an injured man onboard. Call for our medical droids and have them bring him to our facility immediately."

Jyn suddenly called out them shouting, "The others are my friends as well."

One of Lando's men looked back at her as he replied, "We figured as much. Don't worry, we'll take good care of your man."

"You were right," the smuggler named Dax Nox stated when he and his partner walked past the men boarding their ship to tend to the wounded man, lowering the weapons they carried and stopped at Jyn's side as the droids finally arrived. "It looks like things might just work out after all."

"You are all welcome here," Lando responded as he looked at the two men standing with woman who turned around to keep her eyes on the shuttle while she waited for Cassian to be lifted out and brought in to be treated. "Try not to worry, Liana. I promise that your friend will be well taken care of. Meanwhile, you can get some rest. You all look as though you could use it. I will also have my droids bring you food and something to drink."

Without turning around, Jyn answered, "I'm fine. I prefer to stay with my friend."

The leader nodded in understanding and then he replied, "I figured you'd say that. At least you won't have any excuse not to be treated as well."

"Are you always so generous to complete strangers?" the thief who called himself Richter asked coldly as they continued to wait to be led inside.

"You'll find I am," Lando responded smugly. "But I have a low tolerance for mischief. So, so long as you don't cause any real trouble, you're all perfectly safe here. It's helped make me the man I am today and I rather enjoy my current position. Follow me please."


	4. Chapter 4

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Four

"So, Lobot here is my aide and most loyal friend," Lando spoke in regards to the man walking beside him with cybernetic implants as they, Jyn, the two smugglers, his guards, and the droids carrying Cassian between them, walked through the structure's corridors on their way towards the medical bay. "At least out of everyone who's on Cloud City. If there is anything you all might need other than what you receive while you're here, he will remain with you when I can't and you are free to ask him for it. We promise to do what we can to be accommodating."

"Did Liana happen to mention the reason for my partner and I being here?" Richter asked while he glared over at the young woman as she walked alongside the travois Cassian was lying on to remain close for his protection.

Lando looked between Jyn and the thieves, lying with ease as he responded, "She mentioned you were both in need of new identities, as you're both wanted by the Empire. My people and I are neutral in the war between the Empire and the Alliance, but we don't have any respect for the Empire either, so if you need a new start to remain off of their radar, then you will have what you need."

Dax Nox smiled smugly as he replied, "That's mighty gracious of you. How soon will you have them ready? And when will we be clear to leave?"

"A few of my men are refueling your ship as we speak," the Baron Administrator answered. "And the documents will be ready within the next few hours. You will be free to leave as soon as you'd like once you get them. If the two of you would like to follow Lobot and my men, they'll take you to get your food and drink as promised. They will also show you to your quarters for as long as you remain here."

"Don't forget our deal, Liana," Richter stated coldly as Jyn locked eyes with him, then he and his partner followed after the guards knowing that they wouldn't be able to remain with Jyn to keep their eyes on her all the time. "We are holding you to it."

Once they were out of sight, Lando turned his head towards Jyn still behind him while they continued on to the medical bay and spoke up saying, "You weren't joking about their hostility. You said they threatened you?"

She looked down at Cassian's face while she responded sadly, "It wasn't me they threatened."

"I see," he replied quietly and stood aside in the doorway when they arrived at the medical facility, then motioned for the droids to bring the wounded man to a bed where they'll be able to tend to him before placing him inside the bacta tank that would hopefully heal him the most that bacta can heal him. "All right, your friends aren't around to hear our conversation anymore. So tell me, Jyn. What's really going on? What happened to you and this man who is your friend?"

"It's a long story," the daughter of Galen Erso answered nervously when she finally turned away from Cassian to face Lando. "Other than getting help for… His name is Cassian Andor, a Rebel Intelligence Officer. Captain as a matter of fact. Surely news of Jedha City and the Imperial base on Scarif both being destroyed by the Empire's new superweapon has reached your world?"

Lando nodded as he responded, "It has. Most of my people believe that the rumors are false. I didn't want to believe it myself. So it's true then?"

They call it the Death Star," Jyn replied angrily. "My father helped build it, but only because he was forced to. However, he placed a flaw in the reactor so that the Alliance could be given a chance to destroy it. Cassian, me, and a small group of rebels went to Scarif to steal the superweapon's plans and we succeeded in transmitting the plans to the Alliance. But we suffered a major loss. Cassian and I are the only survivors."

"I heard word of the Rebel attack too," Cloud City's leader said with the sound of surprise in his voice. "That was really you?"

"I was as surprised as you are that we survived," she continued. "As far as both the Empire and the Alliance knows, we're both dead like everyone and everything else on Scarif."

Lando led Jyn to another bed nearby Cassian's so that her own wounds could be treated as well and then he asked, "And are you seeking sanctuary from both? You seem very keen on remaining hidden, though you've clearly aligned yourself with the Alliance."

Jyn pushed one of the medical droids trying to help her away in frustration, then he quickly stated, "You need treatment too. From the way you favor your left leg when you walk, I see that you're hurt too."

"I told you I'm fine," the young woman answered curtly. "It hurts a little, but I prefer that your droids just keep their attention on Cassian."

"There's plenty of droids to treat you both," Lando replied smugly, then ordered the droid to continue helping her and this time she allowed it to. "Please continue."

Jyn sighed and then spoke again saying, "I wasn't so much working with the Alliance as I was doing them a favor. They needed to find my father so that they could learn intel on and defeat the superweapon with the power to destroy whole planets. Like I said, my father built it under duress. But as far as I'm concerned, the Alliance is as much to blame for his death as the Empire was. Not everyone, but enough. Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful to them for setting me free from the Imperial labor camp I had become trapped in before I became caught up in this war. And they finally joined the battle on Scarif when they were given no choice after first refusing to fight. However, I don't know if they would ever trust me completely and I can never truly trust them enough to continue to align myself with them, as much as I might want to."

He looked over at the Captain on the table, then turned back to Jyn as he asked, "And your friend, the Rebel spy? Do you trust him?"

 _"They were never going to believe you," Jyn suddenly remembered Cassian saying as he and a few other rebel soldiers walked towards her back on Yavin 4 before Rogue One had become assembled together._

 _"I appreciate the support," she said cynically, feeling anger rise inside of her upon believing that he had come out to continue their earlier argument on their shuttle._

 _The Captain took a few steps closer to her and with sincerity he continued, "But I do. I believe you."_

 _Jyn looked at him with disbelief as she sighed while he turned his head to look at the men standing behind him, then he looked back at her again and said, "We'd like to volunteer. Some of us… most of us… we've all done terrible things on behalf of the Rebellion. We're spies. Saboteurs. Assassins. Everything I did, I did for the Rebellion. And every time I walked away from something, I wanted to forget. I told myself it was for a cause that I believed in. A cause that was worth it. Without that we're lost. Everything we've done would have been for nothing. I couldn't face myself if I gave up now. None of us could."_

"Implicitly," the daughter of Galen finally answered Lando resolutely while she looked down at Cassian's ashen face. "I've trusted very few people in my life and those that I did were all killed on Scarif, except for him. Cassian is the reason why I'm really here, Lando. To see that he gets well. I've only known him a few days and I almost allowed myself to hate him for a mistake I had no real right to blame him for. But despite the strain and distrust that was first between us, Cassian saved my life again and again, this last time sacrificing himself for me and not for the Rebellion. If he chooses to return to the Alliance after he recovers… I won't try to stop him. He has been with them his whole life and I can't fault him for that decision. But I hope he will be able to see that he can be something more than just a spy. He deserves more than that."

"Believe me, I get it," the man who listened to the young woman intently until she finished responded in understanding. "I really do. You may not believe you can trust me fully, on account that I am a smuggler myself and not tied to anyone except for my people, but I won't double cross you. I admire what you and your friend did way too much. As far as those two smugglers are concerned, hopefully my men will get their new identities together quickly and they'll just leave. If not, well then we'll deal with them when the time comes if they try anything foolish. We're well prepared for trouble, I assure you."

Jyn turned to him again and replied, "I'm sorry if I can't believe that just yet. I want to thank you though, Lando. For helping me and especially Cassian. I realize that you didn't have to allow me back into the city after the mess with Saw Gerrera. I never meant for your people and his to get into a fight when he came looking for me. I don't even know why he did. All this time I thought he abandoned me."

The Baron Administrator smiled at her as he answered proudly, "There's really no need to thank me. I didn't agree to help you for gratitude. I'm a thief and on most days more selfish than I am a saint, but I'm not completely heartless. I think my people might even attest to that."


	5. Chapter 5

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Five

Onboard the Death Star…

After giving the order to his men to fire on their own base down on the planet below them in order to defeat the rebels who were brave to rise against the Empire, Grand Moff Tarkin stood in front of the display before him and proudly watched as miles of Scarif became consumed by fire in the belief that he had been triumphant in the Empire's first real battle against the Alliance. Until the Rebel attack, he hardly believed the Alliance to be formidable, but though they had surprised him by their audacity to instigate such an attack against the Empire, Tarkin had no doubt in his mind that the Empire would defeat them once and for all when the Alliance receives word of their bitter failure. Knowledge that Director Krennic had also become a casualty of his own creation made the leader's victory that much more gratifying.

It was no secret that Tarkin despised the arrogant Director who believed himself to be deserving of the Emperor's high praise and of a rank within the Empire equal to his own if not of greater importance. So upon learning that Krennic was down on the planet trying to take care of the mess he had created, the Regional Governor only smiled and gave the orders to fire without hesitation or hint of regret. And none of the men under him questioned his orders either as they all respected him highly. Though more importantly, the Emperor held high regard for him as well.

Once the rebels on Scarif were taken care of, Tarkin finally changed the view on the screen so that he could watch the rest of the Rebel fleet surrounding the planet's space who fought for those below fall one by one as Darth Vader took care of them when he finally arrived from his home world, Mustafar. A few of the Alliance ships managed to escape, but again Tarkin was confident that if the Death Star plans were onboard any of the ships before them, had the rogue team on Scarif been successful in doing stealing them, they would have been transmitted to the fleet's command ship, the MC75 Cruiser that the leader now saw had become disabled and boarded by ships from the Empire's own fleet, one of which he knew held Vador himself.

Tarkin was finally pulled from his thoughts when one of his men came up beside him as he spoke saying, "Sir, Lord Vader wishes to speak with you. He is calling from the rebel's lead ship now fully under Lord Vader's control."

The leader turned to the man and nodded as he replied, "Very good. Patch him through."

"Governor Tarkin, you will be happy to know that we have succeeded in destroying a majority of the Rebel fleet, including taking command of their lead ship commanded by Admiral Raddus," Darth Vader said coldly when his image appeared before the older leader as a hologram through the coms system.

"Excellent," Tarkin answered smugly. "And it appears as though you did so without difficulty. I am quite impressed, Lord Vader. Not surprised, simply impressed."

The Emperor's right hand and Sith Lord responded, "Unfortunately, one of the ships hidden within the Cruiser managed to escape as I boarded and with them, the plans for the Death Star. The rebels down on Scarif succeeded in their mission to steal the plans from us and have jumped into hyperspace."

The Governor glared at the image of the man with the power of the force as he replied angrily, "This is unacceptable, Lord Vader. You were supposed to destroy their entire fleet and make sure that the Alliance cannot get their hands on the plans."

"I believe we were both commanded to not allow them to succeed by the Emperor himself," Vader answered more firmly, though just as stoically. "Rest assured, I will pursue the ship and make sure that they cannot get the plans into the hands of the Alliance's leaders. Its call sign is Tantive IV. It won't be hard to capture."

"You must take whoever is its commander alive if you are to learn where they might have hidden the plans onboard," Tarkin curtly responded. "You may do with the rest of the crew as you wish. But we cannot fail. I will not tolerate another failure, especially when we are this close to squashing the Rebellion once and for all. We are on the verge of complete dominance over the entire galaxy, of complete triumph."

The Sith Lord replied, "Try to remember your place, Governor Tarkin. Director Krennic allowed his aspirations to overpower his sense to accept his command and now he is nothing, but ash like the rest of the rebels and our own men who died on Scarif. The Empire will have total dominance, while the triumph will be claimed only by the Emperor."

The older man nodded and answered, "Yes of course. Just get after the rebels before they can run too far. We must get the plans back as soon as possible and at all cost."

The hologram of Vader faded and then Tarkin turned back to the viewing screen to watch as the dark man's shuttle left the Cruiser and left the space surrounding them to pursue the rebels as he was supposed to. Though Tarkin still had complete confidence in the Empire's ability to defeat the Alliance for good using the Death Star to wipe them out, he couldn't deny that his confidence had been shaken a little. The rebels never should have been able to get away with their superweapon's plans, let alone been able to get onto the surface of the dead planet below them so they could steal the plans in the first place.

"Sir, shall we follow after Lord Vader?" one of the men spoke up from behind him.

"Yes," Tarkin responded coldly. "Set a course in pursuit of Lord Vader. Once he succeeds in his task, we will then meet up and work to discover where the Alliance is currently based so we can finally defeat them once and for all."


	6. Chapter 6

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Six

On Bespin within Cloud City…

Jyn had been given treatment by way of a few bacta patches placed carefully along her right leg and knee as well as on a few of her other minor injuries, she was given medicines and water to help her cope with her pain, then the medical droids encouraged her to lie down on the bed within the medical wing to try to get some sleep upon seeing how exhausted she was despite her objections. Jyn didn't want to at first, but now that Cassian was currently within a bacta tank as she hoped it would be enough to heal him, there was no point in denying herself the rest she knew she needed as much as he did.

She slept uneasily for nearly an hour before she was awoken by the nightmares that haunted her. They were always the same. The moment of her mother's death right before her eyes, memories from her time spent training and fighting among Saw Gerrera's more extreme rebels than those she came to know briefly on Yavin 4, and her time trapped among the Imperial soldier while within the Wobani prison camp. However this time, new nightmares were added to all of her ones. Nightmares of her father being struck by an Alliance bomb and dying within her arms, listening to K-2 saying his final goodbyes through the com and Cassian's desperate cry of his name, she saw the faces of her new and dear friends flash through her dreams before they too could be killed, and finally images of the man in white and of Cassian as the Imperial shot the man she had grown to care for more than she thought she ever would, then watched as Cassian fell from the tower as he struck beam after beam until he landed unconscious on the grate beneath his body. Jyn gasped awake just as the wave of fire consumed her and Cassian while they clung to one another upon the beach.

When she sat up and moved to stand from the bed, Jyn then walked over to stand in front of the tank and stared again at Cassian's face mostly hidden beneath the oxygen mask that allowed him to breathe while submerged within the bacta waters. His wrists, arms, and legs were fastened to keep his body securely in place, while wires that monitored his vital signs had been attached to his chest. It wasn't more than a few minutes before Jyn had to finally turn away as she walked out of the medical wing in search of Lando despite her fear to leave Cassian unattended even if the droids were there to keep an eye on his treatments. She knew that she and Lando would immediately be informed when he was released from the tank in case she wasn't with him, or worse… if something were to go wrong. Jyn found the city's leader inside a large control room of some sort and upon seeing her appear in the doorway, Lando waved her over to stand beside him.

"Is everything alright?" he asked her quietly over the sounds of the tower speaking to ships coming in and out of the city. "I thought you were going to try to get some sleep."

"I was trying," Jyn answered in frustration. "I fell asleep, but it didn't take long before some old nightmares came back. New ones too. But it doesn't matter. I got enough. Have you heard word from your people about the smugglers' new identity papers yet? Have they been any trouble?"

Lando looked over at her as he responded, "I told you they would have their papers done as soon as possible and I trust them to do so. And no, they haven't been any trouble. I'm surprised to see you've left your friend's side."

The young woman sat down in one of the room's empty chairs to avoid standing on her bad leg and then she replied, "I didn't want to leave him, but I wanted to find you. Is it possible to look up a profile of a known Imperial officer from here?"

"Of course it is," he answered as he looked at her quizzically. "But why would you want to? Is he someone who haunts your dreams?"

"More than you know," she responded in frustration. "I know his face almost as much as I know my father's and mother's because I saw him moments before both of them were killed. The same was with Cassian as well. This man shot him with a blaster and caused him to fall from the data tower we had to climb to get the plans. He's the cause of all of his injuries and pain."

The Baron Administrator looked at her sternly as he replied, "If you're seeking revenge against him, Jyn…"

Jyn interrupted, "He's already dead. When Cassian came back to save me, he shot him too and then the tower and Imperial base were destroyed in the blast. There's no way this man could have survived. It's just… I want to know something about him. I want to know, why he was always there to kill those closest to me."

"I can certainly understand that," Lando answered and then moved to sit in front of one of the monitors so he could find the information she was looking for. "Do you happen to know a name or rank?"

"I believe my father mentioned a name in his last message to me," the daughter of Galen responded and thought for a moment to try to remember what the name was. "He said his name was Krennic."

Lando's fingers flew across the keys as he typed in the name she spoke and within a few seconds the man in white's face appeared within a hologram before him and Jyn and she stared into the cruel Imperial's eyes while the leader read off the information that came up along with his face saying, "Director Orson Krennic. He was the director of Advance Weapons Research for the Imperial Military. It appears that he was in charge of the completion of the Empire's superweapon. This is him?"

Jyn nodded as she stated, "The Death Star. He kidnapped my father when I twelve years old and then had my mother killed when she tried to defend my father. Then he threatened to kill him when I finally saw my father again a couple of nights ago. He would have, had it not been for the Alliance interfering. And then like I already told you, Cassian suffered because he protected and saved me from this bastard. I won't ever forget his face, but at least now that I know who he is… I might finally be able to move past the hate I held for him so deeply for all these years. Thank you again. I'm not sure…"

"Miss Hallik, your companion is about to be removed from the bacta tank," one of the medical droids called to her on the com left for her before he left Jyn to get some rest. "If you would like to return, you can see for yourself how he's doing."

"I'll be right there," she quickly replied and turned back to Lando as she and the leader both walked swiftly back to the medical facility. "It's too soon. Cassian's barely had the proper time to heal. Something's wrong."

The Baron Administrator nodded in agreement, then answered, "If you're right, we'll fix it. My droids know what to do."

They arrived in time to watch as the medical droids laid Cassian's body wearing nothing more than his undergarments, carefully upon the bed beside Jyn's, then she immediately rushed to his side despite the droids surrounding him and saw that most of the bruises across his back and chest were still very much apparent, though not as dark and ugly as they were when Jyn had to wrap his body in the bandages onboard the shuttle. Jyn also found that the blaster wound from Krennic's weapon had only begun to heal and was still in danger of the infection within it spreading deeper. For some reason, she realized then that Cassian would always have a large, angry looking scar that would remind the Rebel Captain of his losses in their battle against the Empire that should have killed them.

The young woman turned her eyes to face the lead droid working to save her friend as she asked sternly, "What happened? Is there something wrong with the tank?"

"Yes, Liana Hallik," it responded dryly without looking at her as the droid focused on its patient while it worked with the others to place Cassian on life support. "The tank has malfunctioned due to an unknown error and we were therefore forced to remove Captain Andor sooner than is wise. It will take us time to figure out what went wrong and then to fix it. Our machines will be able to sustain his life now that his wounds are not as critical as they were before we placed him within the bacta tank."

"An unknown error?" Jyn stated skeptically. "It was sabotage. And I bet I know who caused it."

When she turned and started to storm out of the room in search of the two smugglers she arrived with, Lando swiftly grabbed her arm and pulled her back as he replied curtly, "Wait a minute. Just take a second to cool down and think about what you're about to do. I don't believe it was them, Jyn. Why would they risk losing what they've agreed to come here for? Those thieves are getting their papers like they wanted and as far as they know, you haven't said a word about their threat against you and your friend. What motive would they have for sabotaging the tank and killing a Rebel Intelligence Officer, they don't know is a Rebel Intelligence Officer?"

She glared at the leader as she retorted, "I don't care if they had a motive or not. You said it yourself. Who else would want to kill him?"

"Give me time to investigate," Lando answered pleadingly while he looked into the younger woman's eyes. "I'll find who did this if there is someone responsible. I've called Lobot and he will remain here with you to make sure no further harm can be done to either of you."

"Fine," Jyn responded in frustration and then pulled her arm from his grip and slowly walked back to stand over Cassian as she let out a disheartening sigh. "You're right. And I'm sorry."

No more than twenty-four hours later…

Lobot sat within a chair at the end of the bed where the wounded man lay as he watched over their city's newcomers as Lando had requested him to do, while keeping his eyes on the droids continuing to work on the tank as well. They had fixed the malfunction and were now trying to discover what, or who had caused it. Jyn continued sitting beside Cassian's bed, having refused to go back to sleep until she knew he was past the worst of danger despite how exhausted she was.

Jyn's eyes finally began to drift closed until she suddenly felt the hand within her own close around hers and opened her eyes to find that Cassian was slowing beginning to come to. She sat up straighter and gripped his hand tighter as she quietly called out his name in hope that he would hear her. He awakened as he struggled to open his eyes, then Jyn gently laid the palm of her hand over his cheek and smiled with relief when he looked at her for the first time since she took his hand and pulled him close as the fire was about to consume them back on Scarif.

She spoke first as she whispered, "There you are, Captain. You had me so worried."

He weakly reached up to try to pull away the tube running along his face beneath his nose until Jyn stopped him, then Cassian spoke while he stared at her in confusion replying weakly, "Jyn. But how…"

"I'm not sure exactly," she answered upon reading his thoughts as she pulled the kyber crystal still around her neck hidden beneath her clothes. "I think it may have something to do with my mother's necklace. It was touching both of us when we embraced on the beach just as the blast from the Death Star hit us. I'm just not sure how it works. But the point is, we are alive."

"I felt the he… heat and was burned… from the fire, then I felt death… take me," he struggled to respond and then tried to sit up straighter until she laid one of her hands over his chest to stop him from moving.

She said firmly, "You need to remain still and allow your body to continue to heal. You're hardly fit to sit up, let alone to do a whole lot of talking. Just know that I'm here and I'm not leaving you. You didn't leave me. I know what you mean. I felt death come for us too. But then I woke up after the fire faded and found the beach to be desolate and nothing more than a burning wasteland. We should be grateful that perhaps the force protected the both of us. But you still almost died. Because of the wounds you sustained from falling off the data tower and being shot by Krennic."

Cassian asked, "You got us off Scarif?"

"Yes," she replied despondently with a nod. "It's like I said, everything around us was destroyed and turned to ash. And everyone. We were the only survivors. Bodhi, Chirrut, Baze, Kay… Then a scavenger ship arrived and I convinced those onboard to bring us here so I could get you help. It was our only way out. We're in Cloud City on Bespin. An old friend of mine is the man in charge here. He was the one who gave me the name Liana Hallik when he helped me to gain another identity. This city has yet to be invaded by the Empire, so we're perfectly safe."

"We'll never be… perfectly safe," he answered remorsefully as he turned his head and stared up at the ceiling before letting his eyes drift closed again in order to avoid her gaze while Jyn continued to look down at him. "Perhaps… only for the moment."

Jyn had seen the sadness in his eyes and heard the regret in his voice while he spoke, then her grip on his hand tightened again as she responded with sincerity, "We made it, Cassian. We both survived. And we got the plans into the hands of the Alliance just like we set out to do. We have to continue to have hope that they will succeed in using them to destroy the Death Star just as my father said they can. And they will. You gave me that hope. As for us, we can finally be free."

The Rebel Captain opened his eyes again to look at her as he replied strongly, "You're wrong. You're free, Jyn. But my duty… is to the Rebellion. I have to… have to go back as soon… as I am able. I have to keep fighting… until death does take me."

"That's crazy," she answered in anger because of his stubbornness. "You don't owe them anything. You have devoted your whole life to them, Cassian. You said it yourself. You've been in this fight since you were six. And now the Alliance believes we have died on Scarif getting the plans for them."

"I should have," Cassian continued. "I never imagined I would survive… even when I told Bodhi… he was our only way out of there. I awoke after I fell… and I knew you were still fighting. So I kept going. To protect you. But I be… believed the fire was it. And I… was okay with that. Now that I am still alive… The Rebellion is all I know. Even if I wanted to leave… I know how to do nothing else."

Jyn fought to keep the tears threatening to fall at bay as she responded, "And you really believe I know anything more than just trying to stay alive? Because that's all I've ever done. But we can learn how to live a new life if you only realize that you deserve to have a chance to start over and live the life you would have chosen if you hadn't lost everything because of the Empire."

He retorted curtly, "I'm not a good man… like you seem to believe I am, Jyn. I can be your friend and I… I can continue to fight for a just cause until I die, but I can't… be or do any more than that. Don't you understand?"

"It wasn't your fault that my father died," the younger woman answered when she finally did understand why he believed he wasn't worthy of having the life she knew he deserved. "I don't blame you. And it wasn't your fault that Kay, Chirrut, Baze, or Bodhi died either. They chose to come with us because they believed in what we fought for. You may have done terrible things in your life. So have I. You are a good man. You believed in me when your instinct told you not to. And you climbed up after me to save my life before the man who killed my parents could kill me too even though you were gravely injured. You did that for me and not for the Rebellion."

"Do you really believe that?" Cassian asked.

She smiled sadly as she responded steadfastly, "I do."

He closed his eyes again upon feeling his weariness begin to take him again, then replied softly, "You real… really shouldn't."


	7. Chapter 7

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Seven

Somewhere within another part of the city, a Rodian bounty hunter who called himself Galgodoc entered one of Bespin's many cantinas where the two smugglers who had come in with the rebels waited for him to join them at a table closer to the back where they were free to speak their business for freely. When their one and only connection on Cloud City arrived and sat across from them, Dax Nox picked up one of the drinks in front of him and handed it over to the Rodian, who accepted it graciously and took a large swig before uttering a word.

Finally he looked at both men as he stated within his own language, "Bantha blood fizz? I like it. But I've had better drinks than this."

Richter glared at him as he responded coldly, "Only the first one's free. You want something different, order it yourself."

"Unfortunately, I didn't come here to drink or to make idle talk," Galgodoc answered without emotion as he sat back against the bench behind him. "I want to thank you for the information you passed to me last moon. It turns out you were right about the two you brought here with you. They are indeed rebels with the Alliance. But what's even better, the wounded one is a Rebel Intelligence Officer. The information he must know would surely be worth a fortune to the Empire, or anyone else willing to pay the right price."

"We thought you were going to create trouble for them in order to confirm if Calrissian was a sympathizer of the rebels, or if he would be easily swayed to join the side of the Empire?" Dax Nox questioned, unsure of this bounty hunter's true motives.

The Rodian took another gulp of his drink to finish it off and then replied, "That was my intention. And I did that when I sabotaged the tank while the Captain was healing because I figured Calrissian knew who the newcomers really were and would risk revealing himself to help them. And he did. I listened as he and the young woman with the Rebel spoke as the droids saved him. I always suspected Calrissian was more of a Rebel than he was an Imperial, which is why Governor Tarkin sent me here on my own and paid me a good fee for my services. To discover the truth. Lando Calrissian is clever, as he allows outsiders to come into this city whether they're supporters of the Empire, or the Alliance alike so long as they don't cause trouble. But I think Tarkin would be just as interested in learning what I didn't expect to discover."

Dax Nox asked again, "And how is it you've been able to walk around free and clear without anyone noticing you being in places you're not permitted to go?"

"Special technology," Galgodoc stated as he stood up from the table indicating he was ready to leave. "Take that for what it is. I appreciate that you came to me with this information. It's a good thing that you remembered your debt from the last time we came into contract. Now, I have somewhere to be. But the two of you know too much about me and what my plans are. It's your time to die."

All of a sudden, the bounty hunter swiftly pulled his blaster and shot them in their chests before either smuggler could move fast enough to try to defend themselves. Everyone within the room turned their eyes towards the attack, but upon doing so they didn't see whoever it was who fired and killed the cantina's patrons as if he had simply vanished where he stood. Those who owned and ran the establishment walked over to the table to take care of the dead men, while everyone else simply turned back to their drinks and gambling as if nothing at all happened moments earlier.

Not long after killing the two smugglers, the bounty hunter walked into his shuttle that brought him to Bespin and tapped a switch on the device he wore on his wrist to turn off the technology that allowed him to change his appearance into whatever species he needed so he could get in and out unnoticed any time or any place. He took a few moments to check his weapons, then punched a number into the ship's communicator to make contact with his current employer.

"This ought to be interesting," the Rodian muttered to himself.

When the face of one of the Imperial officers appeared on the view screen in front of him, Galgodoc spoke first saying, "I need to speak with Governor Tarkin. He'll want to hear what I have to say."

The officer responded, "The Governor is busy. Is the reason why you wish to speak with him important?"

"I told you, he'll want to hear what I have to say," he answered in frustration. "Get him, or should I come to him in possession of what I have for him without talking to him first, the price for said possession will be doubled and you will wish that you had listened."

"Hold please," the man replied and disappeared as the screen went black.

Tarkin appeared less than a minute later and upon seeing who was on the other end of the communication, he said callously, "Galgodoc. I expected to hear from you sooner. But now isn't a good time. Much has happened since we last spoke."

The bounty hunter glared at the Imperial as he responded, "Would it have something to do with a group of rebels attacking one of your bases on Scarif?"

"And how would you know about that so far out?" the Governor asked suspiciously, more intrigued now than he had been upon first answering the communication. "Has word of the Alliance attack against the Empire spread so quickly?"

"What would you say if I were to tell you that two of the rebels who attacked your base have survived the blast from your superweapon and have fled all the way here to Cloud City, and are currently being harbored by none other than the city's Baron Administrator, Lando Calrissian?" he continued smugly. "You wanted to know which side Calrissian supported. He's loyal to the Alliance, though I doubt he's prepared to join in war just yet. He's more loyal to himself and his own people than anyone else."

Tarkin quickly questioned, "And these two rebels. You're certain of their involvement in the attack on Scarif? How did you learn of this information? Is your source reliable?"

Galgodoc answered, "I heard the conversation between one of the rebels and Calrissian myself. Her companion was critically injured and is fighting to live. I get the sense that he will, which is better for us both that he should do so. At least for now. You'll be eager to know that this man is a Rebel Intelligence Officer and therefore his life is worth far more than the price you are already paying me for the information on Calrissian. Triple it, and I will deliver him to you alive. Imagine the knowledge he must possess, especially about the Alliance."

"You have your price," the Regional Governor replied almost greedily. "My men will send you a signal so you can track us. Follow it and bring this Rebel Officer to me as soon as you are able. If you capture the woman with him as well, fine. But if she dies, it is of no importance."

"We have ourselves another deal," the Rodian responded coolly. "Surely discovering the Rebel base before another would put you in even higher esteem with the Emperor. Perhaps even more so than the Lord known as Darth Vader. And if you continue to remain so profitable, I might learn to take orders from a hero of the Empire."

Tarkin remained silent for a moment while he stared at the man, then he answered, "What I do isn't for my own glory, but for the glory of the Empire."

Galgodoc replied, "Saying it out loud doesn't make your sentiment true."


	8. Chapter 8

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Eight

When Cassian drifted back into unconsciousness, Jyn finally raised her hand to her cheeks and quickly wiped away the tears she couldn't keep in any longer as the man lying ill in front of her had revealed his true self and feelings to her even if it was only because of the narcotics he was under to help him cope with his obvious pain. She couldn't help, but be grateful that he hadn't seen her crying because the guilt and remorse he felt for his many sins Jyn knew he blamed himself for had kept him from being able to look at her while they talked.

"Liana Hallik, are you well?" one of the medical droids who had been the most dominant in Cassian's care asked without feeling as it walked up behind Jyn, startling the young woman as it did so.

Jyn turned to it as she replied nervously, "Yes. Yes of course, I'm fine. Why?"

The droid looked at her as it responded, "While your right leg and knee appear to have healed properly, I could not help, but notice that you still have not gotten hardly any sleep since you first arrived and even when you did, it has been interrupted by nightmares. You have also been crying. Are you in pain?"

"What I'm feeling isn't the kind of pain you can treat with bacta or any other kind of medicines," she answered quietly as she walked over to the windows overlooking the city within the clouds and stared at them as well as the ships that passed by. "Is Cassian in much pain?"

"I am afraid there is only so much we can give him to help relieve his pain," the robot replied. "But he is doing better this evening than he was when he was first brought in, and again first removed from the tank. He even woke up for a short while. Would you like us to place him back in now that it has been repaired? It is no longer necessary, but his healing will take longer if we do not."

She looked back at Cassian and responded, "I wish for him to get the best treatment available. If you think it will be better for him to be in the tank… Wait. No, don't. Leave him to heal as he is. I can't risk whoever sabotaged the tank in the first place doing so again. At least this way I can keep my eyes on him. You might not be so lucky to get him out in time."

The droid looked at her strangely as it spoke again saying, "We medical droids are trained in over ten million forms of treatment of all forms of ailments and injuries. When treating a patient, luck has nothing to do with what we do."

"It's only a figure of speech," Jyn answered in frustration.

"Unfortunately, figures of speech aren't and probably won't ever be in these droids' vocabulary," Lando replied as he entered the room again to speak with Jyn about an important matter. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but something's happened and it concerns the smugglers. As promised, my men and I began to investigate the attempt made on your friend's life. Two of my security officers found out where the men have been keeping themselves pretty much since they arrived, but when they entered the cantina… Jyn, both of them are dead. They were both shot in the chest by a blaster and by the time anyone looked for signs of their killer seconds after the attack, he or she vanished. Others in the room told my men that a Rodian had been sitting with them just beforehand, but there are a number of Rodian that either live here or are visiting. We will continue looking for the killer, especially since I have a feeling that he or she might be the one who tried to kill Captain Andor too. The question is, why would a Rodian want to kill or hurt your friend and the two smugglers?"

Jyn thought for a moment and then she responded, "Cassian's an Intelligence Officer and he must have come into contact with a number of species. It's possible that this Rodian might have a grudge against him. When Cassian wakes again, I will ask him if it's possible."

Lando looked down at the wounded rebel, then turned to Jyn again as he questioned, "He finally woke up? That's good news. At least there's some."

"Yes, but it does not mean Captain Andor is going to fully recover, if at all," the droid behind them said again callously. "He is still very ill and his injuries are grave as you know."

"Yes, F5," the Baron Administrator answered in frustration as he glared at the medical droid. "We do know. If there is one thing I wish you would learn, it's a better bedside manner."

Jyn gave a small, yet insincere smile as she replied cynically, "Perhaps you should look into finding a living and breathing doctor to work alongside your droids. If a bedside manner is important to you that is. Thank you for letting me know about the men who brought us here. I'm not sure why someone wanted to kill them, but they did mention they had contacts here in your city. Now I wish I pressed them more about who."

Lando nodded and responded, "We'll keep looking. Captain Andor is welcome to remain here as long as he needs to recover of course. But I'm beginning to think it would be best that you both leave this planet as soon as possible, if only for your safety. I have a feeling we're dealing with a killer who's very dangerous and if he wants to kill him, then both of your lives are at risk."

"We'll be gone as soon as we can be," she answered worryingly. "But we... We don't actually have a ship, remember?"

"I've ordered some of my men to look over and make any necessary repairs to the smugglers' ship," he replied with a smile. "Since they won't be needing it anymore, it's yours. I take it that your friend can fly a scavenger shuttle?"

The younger woman responded with confidence, "Of course. Thank you again, Lando."

Lando smiled as he answered, "Only thank me when the two of you actually manage to get clear of the city and back into the space surrounding us. At least then I'll know I've done my part."


	9. Chapter 9

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Nine

 _Senator Bail Organa walked alongside Mon Mothma on their way towards the base's docking bay while she talked quietly so few others could hear her saying worryingly, "Despite what the others say, war is inevitable."_

 _They stopped outside of the shuttle port where his ship was docked and with just as much worry for what they understood was coming while he answered, "Yes, I agree. I must return to Alderaan to inform my people that there will be no peace. We will need every advantage."_

 _Mon lowered her voice even more as she gently laid her hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Your friend, the Jedi."_

 _"He served me well during the Clone Wars and has lived in hiding since the Emperor's purge," Bail replied. "Yes, I will send for him."_

 _"You'll need someone you can trust," she responded as her friend walked towards the port._

 _The door opened as he entered, but he faced her once more while he answered, "I would trust her with my life."_

In another part of the galaxy…

Before leaving the Rebel base on Yavin 4, Senator Organa found his daughter, Leia to inform her of the dire situation and wished her well and a safe journey to find his old friend, then he returned to his home world of Alderaan as he told Mon Mothma he was going to in order to prepare his people of the danger that was coming.

When he arrived, his wife and the Queen of their world, Queen Breha was waiting for him and took her husband into a firm embrace, then she looked into his eyes as she spoke up fearfully saying, "Oh Bail. I'm so grateful that you've returned safely. But where is Leia? I thought she would be returning with you."

"Unfortunately, the war between Alliance and Empire has begun," the Senator replied sadly. "I had no choice, but to send our daughter on a mission to Tatooine to find Obi Wan. We need as many allies on our side to fight."

"But why did you have to send Leia?" his wife asked worryingly. "Surely any one of your most loyal guards could have gone to find the Jedi."

Bail took her hand and pulled it close against his chest while he used his free hand to caress her cheek, then responded, "I assure you, they are all with her. And Captain Antilles will protect her at all costs, of that I am certain. If there's anyone Obi Wan will trust enough to come out of hiding and join with us against the Empire for, it is Leia. Our daughter will be safe. You knew that this day would come as well as I, Breha."

She lowered her head in despair as a tear slipped down her cheek until her husband wiped it away, then she looked up into his eyes and whispered, "I know. What brought about the sudden urgency? Did the Empire discover the location of the Rebel base and attack?"

"No," he answered as he took her arm in his own and they slowly walked together away from the landing pad to head inside their palace. "The Alliance has been given a new hope thanks to the daughter of an Imperial Science Officer, whose loyalty was always to our Rebellion, as he built a flaw into the Empire's superweapon I spoke to you about. This young woman fought against the council when they refused to agree to an all-out strike against the Imperials based on Scarif, where we learned the plans for this weapon of theirs are stored. But she and a small group of rebels refused to stand down. They have gone rogue to find the plans for us. Soon, we'll be able to defeat the Empire once and for all, Breha. We will finally be at peace, but this war has to occur before that happens. We need to warn our people."

"Sir, Your Majesty… we've detected a massive object the size of a small space station emerging in the space surrounding our planet," one of Alderaan's tech officers called out urgently while he suddenly came running out to them.

Bail's face suddenly became alarmed as he replied apprehensively, "The Death Star. The Empire has come to invade Alderaan at last. Or worse…"

The officer looked at the Senator with confusion as he asked, "What could possibly be worse?"

"I need you to listen to me very carefully," the leader responded strictly. "There is nothing we can do if they decide to use their weapon against us, especially if the space station is fully operational. And the last thing we want is to create a panic throughout the city. Inform the rest of your men of the possibility of invasion and then you're to deal with this as you would any other emergency. We shall address our people. Be calm when revealing this information with anyone. And private, your service has been honorable. I thank you."

"Of course… Sir," the tech answered, then walked away to do as ordered.

Breha turned back to her husband and wrapped her arms around him and Bail reciprocated as he kissed the top of her head. Despite the glimmer of hope he gave to the officer moments ago, in his heart he knew Alderaan and its people were doomed. The Empire had come to show their enemies its full power, most likely out of retaliation for the Rebellion making the first attack.

The Queen laid her head against his chest and with fear in her voice she whispered, "I love you, Bail. I always have. And I always will."

With buoyancy her husband replied, "And I you. Don't worry, our daughter will remain safe. She's strong and brave. Just like her mother."

Before another word could be spoken, as the Queen and Senator simply held one another close, all of Alderaan was suddenly engulfed by fire and blown into nothing more than ash and meteor rock. The worst of it was, that while Princess Leia was a prisoner and still very much alive, she was forced to watch as her homeworld was destroyed with the knowledge that her parents were there. And it wouldn't be long before word of the loss would come to be known throughout the galaxy.

Onboard the Millennium Falcon…

 _"Are you alright?" Luke Skywalker asked his Jedi Master worryingly as Obi Wan Kenobi sat down as though he had been struck by a sudden illness. "What's wrong?"_

 _"I felt a great disturbance in the Force," the old Jedi responded sadly. "As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."_


	10. Chapter 10

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Ten

Nearly another day passed since Cassian first awoke and in that time he continued to recover slowly, while he and Jyn barely spoke to one another in the moments he regained consciousness. When he had come to a second time, he hardly remembered the words spoken between them before, though he remembered enough to know that he had revealed too much about himself to the young woman he had grown a deep respect for and he wasn't going to say more about it. So Cassian simply refrained from talking unless it was necessary for his care.

Jyn understood this about him and while he wasn't able to talk to her, she spoke plenty enough for the both of them as she told Cassian about how she had come to know this city's leader and smuggler, then she told him about the two thieves' deaths and about the attempt on his life. He brushed off her worry for him as though someone trying to kill him didn't matter and it irritated her. However, she didn't press him as she knew doing so wouldn't do her any good. Yet the look on her face told Cassian that she wanted to.

"You can say what's… on your mind, Jyn," he finally said weakly after she had fallen silent for over a minute while she began to pace back and forth alongside his bed, causing him to turn his head to face her as he struggled to sit up a bit higher. "It's o… kay."

"Clearly it's not okay, since you've barely spoken more than two words to me after you started waking more frequently and I told you your life is in danger," she responded with frustration while she glanced over at him. "I understand. I really do. It's just that you act as though it doesn't matter and it's not all right, Cassian."

He laid his head back against the pillows behind him as he closed his eyes to try to collect his thoughts, then he looked over at her while he replied quietly, "I'm a spy for the Rebellion and as such, making enemies is… an unfortunate, but necessary… part of my duty. I don't like it, but it's happened and I… I can't change that."

Jyn took a seat beside him as she answered, "But you don't have to act as though it doesn't bother you at all, or that it doesn't matter. That's what I'm angry about. You may not care about your own life, but I do whether you'd like me to or not."

"I appreciate that," Cassian responded. "I've forgotten what it's like to have someone who… cares about what happens to me. But enough about that. I'm afraid I don't recall coming across a Rodian whom I've offended, but that doesn't… mean I haven't. He might also be working for some… someone else. Either way, your friend, Lando was right that we should leave Cloud City as soon as… possible."

"You're still healing, Cassian," she replied curtly. "You can hardly talk or move because you're still in a lot of pain. You haven't even been able to remain awake for too long. You need to rest and you're certainly in no condition to fly."

The Rebel Captain nodded and then answered, "We don't really have a choice, Jyn. If Kay…"

Cassian fell silent a moment and Jyn could see a flash of despair in his eyes over the loss of his only friend for years until he swiftly shrugged it off and continued. "If Kay were here… I would let him take control. But he isn't anymore. If we're going to get out of here, you'll need to put me back into the bacta tank. I'll re… cover faster. But we need to leave by tonight, whether I'm better… or not."

"And if the tank is still faulty or is sabotaged again?" Jyn asked after she shook her head in frustration. "The assassin already got in here once without setting off alarm with the security officers. We still don't know how he, or she, managed to do it. What if…"

"I trust you to protect me," he interrupted. "You have so far, despite… me being so bullheaded."

Jyn smiled sadly at his attempt to make her feel better about their predicament, but then she spoke again saying, "When we do leave here, I'm not so sure I can return with you to Yavin 4, Cassian. I'm not so sure I really belong there, even if you believe they'll welcome me as you have. Especially not after I went against the council's decision and got a number of rebels killed in a suicide mission."

Cassian weakly reached out to take Jyn's hand as he responded, "A suicide mission that gave the Rebellion real hope that we can actually defeat… the Empire. And the truth is it was me who enlisted them… because I knew they wouldn't believe you without having to listen… to why our plan would fail. I knew those men all felt… as I felt about the things we've done. If anyone's to blame for their deaths…"

"If you say you're to blame, I'm through with speaking to you," she curtly cut him off.

"I was going to say it's the Empire to blame," he replied. "But we got them, thanks to you and your father."

The younger woman quickly corrected him as she stated, "And you too. I never would have been able to rebel against the council if it hadn't been for your belief in me, Cassian. Try not to think so little of yourself. You've done more for me in just a few days, than others have done for me my whole life. And you gave me back the few people I've ever really loved. Saw took me in, raised me, and taught me how to fight, but it wasn't the kind of life I wanted. I came to resent him. I'm grateful that I was able to forgive him before he died. As for my parents, I love them and miss them terribly. However, a part of me was angry with them for leaving me alone when I was so young. I was able to forgive them too when I listened to my father's message, because I understood then why they did what they did."

The Captain smiled as he answered, "You always had it in you. Listen, Jyn. It's time to do what we need to do right now. We've already wasted too much time talking."

"You're right," she responded. "But thank you for making all of this possible, Cassian. I mean it."

"You don't… owe me anything," Cassian replied uncomfortably as he struggled to sit up again, then moved his legs around the opposite side of the bed and attempted to stand and walk towards the tank without Jyn's help until he suddenly started to collapse.

She immediately rushed to him and caught him before he could hit the floor as she asked curtly, "What do you think you're doing? If you really expect to heal properly, you can't try to do everything by yourself. I'm helping you whether you want me to or not, remember?"

He nodded as he struggled to answer, "It's just… I'm not used to having help… after a mission. At least not from… someone with compassion… and sympathy. Kay was… a good friend, but… he didn't have capacity for that."

"I know that you must miss him," Jyn whispered sadly. "And that you're not used to someone caring about you, but it's no reason for you not to take any sort of compliment or accept that you deserve more than what you've always been given from everyone else."

"It doesn't matter," Cassian replied again. "I don't do… what I do… for gratitude, or for a sense… of self worth."

When Lando walked into the med bay then, followed by Lobot and the two medical droids, he rushed over to help the two rebels as they moved to stand in front of the tank while the droids moved in to prepare the tank for their patient as they had done before. Finally they took Cassian from Jyn and began to secure him inside.

Just before they fastened the oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, Cassian motioned for the droids to pause for a moment, then he looked into Jyn's eyes and said quietly, "I do appreciate all you have done… for me, Jyn. And what you're saying. If… If something does go wrong, and I don't make it… I want you to know that I hope… for the chance to become the man you believe I am, even if you do… decide not to stay. But I wish you would. I'm better with you… at my side."

Jyn couldn't say a word as she simply stared back at him fearfully while the droids finished and the tank slowly began to fill with the bacta waters that would hopefully heal him as much as it's able, then Lando stated, "It's good that you've changed your mind about his treatment. I'm sorry for intruding, but I've come because I've got some more news. Though I'm afraid it isn't the news you want to hear. It seems as though my timing in coming to see you both is always wrong."

"What's the problem now?" she asked despondently when she finally turned away from the tank to look at her other friend still standing beside her. "If it's not about the assassin who tried to kill Cassian…"

"Actually, I'm afraid that this weapon you called the Death Star, has targeted another world and this time the entire planet was blown apart," the Baron Administrator continued with remorse. "One of my own spies I sent out to gather information just after you arrived reported that the Empire's attack occurred a few hours ago. Alderaan."

Jyn looked at him in disbelief as she uttered, "Alderaan? That is where one of the only council members who believed going to Scarif was the right decision to make resided… Senator Organa I think his name was. He wasn't…?"

Lando quickly interrupted, "I don't know. I doubt we'll ever know whether or not he was on his homeworld when it was destroyed, unless you and Captain Andor do decide to return to your base. Are you at least considering it?"

"No offense, Lando… but I've said way too much about what was meant to remain between me and Cassian already," she retorted angrily and walked across the room to one of the beds, then collapsed in frustration and exhaustion as she laid her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry," she added when she finally lifted her head to look up at the man who remained silent after her outburst to give her the space she needed. "I didn't mean to snap like that. I'm just…"

In understanding, he answered before she could finish, "You're afraid for him. And with everything the two of you have been through… Honestly I'm surprised it took you this long to come undone. You were right. What you do is none of my business. I suppose I just wanted to make sure that you'll be alright once you both leave here. Despite the kind of guy I am, I still consider you a friend, Jyn. I do have a few, surprisingly. Lobot here is proof of that. He would agree with me if he could."

The man with cybernetic implants smiled at him and simply nodded, then Lando spoke again saying, "I told you. I need to go speak with some of my people, but I still hope for the chance to actually meet Captain Andor before the two of you have to leave."

"So, you'll be there then?" she asked. "At the shuttle before we leave."

"Of course," the leader said as he gently tapped her shoulder, then left the room while Lobot remained with Jyn and Cassian like before.


	11. Chapter 11

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Eleven

Calrissian took another small security detail back down to the cantina after he left Jyn and Lobot to look after Cassian once again, then the leader sat down alone at the very table where the murders within his city took place the day before. Few of the security officers with him stood in the corners of the room where they would be able to keep their eyes on the Baron Administrator from the shadows, while the others sat down at separate tables throughout the room in an effort to keep their eyes out for danger should it arise.

He sat alone for almost a half an hour in wait for the person he had come to see and considered leaving. But just as he was about to, a Balosar finally took a seat across from him and smiled smugly upon seeing that the leader was still waiting for him. He figured it meant that Lando was desperate for the information he had for him in regards to the smugglers' deaths and would most likely be willing to pay more than he had initially asked for.

The other species motioned to the bartender for a drink, indicating that this Balosar was a regular patron to this cantina, and then he turned back to Lando as he spoke first saying, "I'm glad to see you came. I placed a bet with a buddy of mine. He didn't think you'd show up. He lost, lucky for me."

Lando replied curtly, "You're late, Elan Sel'Sabagno. You were supposed to be here some time ago."

"I had to make sure you really wanted what I have for you," he answered and then nervously looked around him as if he suspected he was being watched. "For some reason, I can no longer bring myself to sell death sticks, like I used to. But I rethought my life as I was once told to do a long time ago. And this is all I could do."

"And what is it that you do exactly?" the Baron Administrator asked, sitting back more comfortably against the seat's back behind him while one of the waitresses came over and sat a couple of drinks down in front of both men. "You came all the way from Coruscant just to haggle unsuspected people for money by promising them information you don't have?"

The younger man looked at the leader across from him strangely as he questioned, "What makes you think I don't have what I promised? I saw who killed those two smugglers. I heard most of what they spoke of. Or at least what was most important. I was sitting at the closest table to them. But if you want it, you have to pay. I want twice what we agreed to."

Calrissian pulled out a coin parcel from his pocket inside the coat he was wearing and set in down on the table in front of himself, and while keeping his eyes on Elan, he said sternly, "This is the payment we first agreed upon. If you want twice this, your information better be worth it. Who killed those men here in my city?"

"It was a Rodian," he responded quickly. "A bounty hunter."

"We know of what species he was from other patrons, but did he actually say he was a bounty hunter?" Lando asked.

Elan Sel'Sabagno took a drink and then replied, "He said someone paid him good money to come here to gather information. Information that involves you. But he found something else too."

The Baron Administrator suddenly slammed his fist down on the table in front of the Balosar in frustration and called out angrily, "Stop talking in riddles and tell me what you know!"

"All right!" the boy answered nervously. "I heard him say that an Imperial Officer paid him to find out if you were loyal to the Empire, or to the Alliance. By helping two rebels, you've made it known you side with them."

"Did he mention who wanted this information?" Lando asked again.

He stuttered, "Uh… he said he was a Governor… I think. Governor Tark… Tarkin."

The city's leader sighed as he stated, "The Grand Moff of the Empire himself. I knew helping them would be a mistake. You said that this bounty hunter found something else. What else did he believe a man like Tarkin would be interested in?"

"For this, you need to pay me the extra fee," Elan responded snidely as he reached out and snatched the bag still in front of the man sitting across from him. "This isn't enough. I used to make good money selling death sticks."

"And you'll get more, but only if what you tell me is worth it," Lando replied as he pulled out another parcel, having come prepared as he expected the thief to ask for more all along. "Keep in mind, I already know that this bounty hunter tried to kill one of the rebels. So if that's all you know…"

The younger man interrupted, "He didn't try to kill him. I mean.. he… he… he did, but he knew you and the other rebel would help him. He did that to see if you sympathized with the Rebellion. You did… do. But that isn't all I know."

Calrissian glared at him while he asked curtly, "What else, Elan? Please just tell me."

"I think this bounty hunter plans to capture the wounded rebel so he can sell him to the Empire," he answered smugly. "He knows he's an Intelligence Officer. And he thinks this rebel must know much of worth to many."

Lando quickly stood up and tossed the parcel over to the Balosar as he left the cantina in hurry, followed closely by the men who came with him. When he arrived back at the med bay, he found Jyn was lying down asleep on the bed closest to the tank where her friend and Rebel Captain was fighting to recover still. The leader hated to disturb her because he knew that she's hardly allowed herself to do so out of worry. So seeing that everything was fine and the room was in peace for now, Lando turned to where Lobot was still sitting while he kept his eyes on them.

"Is everything all right here?" he asked his own friend as Lobot stood and walked the rest of the way towards him. "How did you convince Jyn to sleep?"

The man with the implants quickly pushed the buttons on the data pad he wore on his wrist, then the head medical droid turned away from the computer where it was logging in its patient's current vitals and responded for him, "She was exhausted and about to collapse herself. I assured her I would keep a close eye on Captain Andor for her. When she still refused, I offered her a drink of Charde. She didn't know that I also gave her something to help her sleep. If I didn't, we would have two patients to look after."

The leader of the city smiled and patted Lobot on his back and then replied, "You did right by her and I'm grateful, my friend. I just wish the timing was better. The assassin isn't here to try to kill Captain Andor, but to capture him so he can bring him to the leaders of the Empire. I want you to tighten the security here and when she wakes up, I need you to alert me immediately. Is that understood?"

"Yes Sir," F5 answered, continuing to be Lobot's voice. "Do you know more about this Rodian bounty hunter?"

"Not much more," Lando responded in frustration. "It's obvious he's good at remaining hidden. But he will reveal himself eventually. That's why I need you to remain on guard. I trust you more than I trust anyone else. And keep me apprised on the Captain's progress as well."

Lobot nodded, then Lando turned and left the room. After doing so, he walked into his quarters, pulled out a bottle of Charde from his own private stash, and poured himself a drink in an attempt to free himself of his frustration. It didn't really work, but it never did. Lando always just liked having the excuse to drink, since becoming Cloud City's Baron Administrator meant that he could no longer get drunk, or even in the very least drink the way he used to when he smuggled for a living. There was a lot he missed from his old life. One day, he'd be free to go back to it, but right now he needed to be the leader he was and help his friends against the looming threat made against them.


	12. Chapter 12

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Twelve

Hours passed and Jyn stood anxiously by as the medical droids finally released Cassian once again from the tank. He was unconscious, but when they laid him down to examine him, the droids found his bruises were gone, his ribs were no longer broken or cracked, and that the blaster wound in his side was mostly healed. Yet deep scars remained behind like Jyn feared. She understood that while he was going to survive the fight that should have killed him on Scarif, he still had a long road of recovery ahead of him. Not from his physical wounds, but from the emotional ones forced upon him by all who knew him, including her. She had her own scars to heal from. Jyn wanted to stay with him so they could help each other to become better as he had told her, as she believed in what he said as much as he did. She just didn't know if starting over with him was possible.

"Shouldn't he be awake?" she finally asked F5 when she broke free from her thoughts. "He was awake when he went in. And now he's mostly healed even if not as much as he should be. Why is he…?"

"It's because his body has taken a dangerous toll before coming to Cloud City," the droid answered callously. "While his body is healed as much as the tank could heal him in the short time you have allotted to us, his mind is simply fighting to catch up. He is far more exhausted than you are, even with the rest and narcotics he's been under upon his arrival. It should pass, but he must allow himself to rest properly and not strain himself."

Jyn laid her hand over one of his and then asked again, "We need to leave here very soon and he needs to be able to fly us out of here. Isn't there something you can do, something you can give him?"

F5 was about to respond when all of a sudden Jyn felt Cassian's hand tighten within her own as he slowly opened his eyes to look at her and then whispered weakly, "That's not ne… necessary. I'm awake. And the pain's… much more bear… bearable."

"You are hardly awake and you are in no condition to fly a shuttle off of this planet," the lead droid replied. "Your broken ribs and bruises may be healed and burns from your blaster wound are better, but you must still rest."

"I'm stronger than I… look," Cassian answered after he struggled to sit up with Jyn's help against the droid's objections. "And I've rested plenty. Besides, I won't have to do it alone. Jyn's going to help me."

She looked over at him in confusion while she helped him to remain standing and responded, "But I don't know anything about flying a ship?"

The Rebel Captain replied, "With what I need your help with… you'll be fine. I'll teach you all you need to know."

"The droid is right that you should remain here until you are recovered fully, but there have been developments while you were asleep," F5 said again as Lobot spoke through it when he entered the room, followed by Lando a minute later.

"What kind of developments?" Jyn asked curtly as she turned her head to look over at the city's leader. "Did the assassin try to kill him again?"

Lando looked at her with concern, but with even more remorse and sighed, then with reluctance he answered, "We believe that the only reason why this mysterious killer murdered those two smugglers, was because they knew too much and he clearly didn't want them to talk to anyone else about what they spoke about. It turns out that this Rodian is a bounty hunter, who has learned that you… Captain Andor, are a Rebel Intelligence Officer. He doesn't actually want to kill you. What happened earlier was before he knew who you were."

Cassian understood what Lando was telling them as he continued for him, "This bounty hunter wants to sell… sell me to the Empire, because of the knowledge I possess. A spy with the Alliance would be worth a heavy price."

"And you still have no idea who or where he is?" Jyn asked again angrily. "You should have woken me. You should have never let me fall asleep! I told you I needed to protect him! He trusted me to protect…"

"I made sure that you had men with you the whole time, whom I trust completely," the Baron Administrator said in frustration when he swiftly cut her off. "Nothing happened to either one of you. Now, we just need to get you both to the smugglers' ship and get you out of the city. The same security detail who escorted you to the landing pad when you first arrived, will see to it that you get out and away safely."

He then turned to Cassian as he questioned firmly, "Are you sure you're well enough to be able to pilot the ship? It's a scavenger ship. The controls didn't look too complicated when my people and I made sure that it was all set for you."

Cassian nodded and responded, "I'll be fine. I am fine. What little pain I feel now is nothing, I assure you. I've flown while in much worse shape than this."

"Yes, but you said it yourself… you had Kay-Tu with you," Jyn replied worryingly.

"And now I have you, just like I said," he answered when he looked back over at her. "We can do this, Jyn."

It was then that Lando raised his hand out to the Rebel Captain as he spoke again saying, "By the way, it's a pleasure to finally meet you while you've been conscious enough for a conversation. Lando Calrissian, Baron Administrator to Cloud City."

The spy shook his hand and responded, "Cassian Andor. I want to thank you… for helping me and keeping us both safe."

"It was my pleasure," Lando replied. "It's not often I get many friends coming here. It's too bad you can't stay for a good game of poker. I'm a hell of a gambler."

"Not always, Sir," Lobot retorted smugly through F5. "You did lose your most prized possession to that other smuggler and Wookie you call friends as well."

Calrissian thought of his old ship again as he stated, "The Millennium Falcon. She was the fastest ship I've ever had the pleasure of owning and she was very good to me. I swear, that swindler better be taking damn good care of her."

Jyn looked at him strangely as she said, "You speak of this ship as though she's a woman."

"She's the best woman in my life," he answered fondly until he remembered that he was no longer the ship's owner. "Or at least she was."

"We should really get going," Cassian responded firmly and got dressed as fast as he was able, then he struggled to walk out of the medical bay with Jyn's help until he was capable of walking and standing without her support, as they followed Lobot and two other security officers, while Lando followed behind them with a third.

They cautiously made their way through the winding corridors to the landing pad where the scavenger ship was ready for its new pilots, but just before the rebels could say their goodbyes to Lando and then board, the security officer standing closest to Jyn suddenly grabbed her from behind as an electric lash swiftly wrapped itself around her throat and he pulled her back against him in order to keep the rest of the men now surrounding them at bay.

Cassian immediately grabbed his blaster from its holster and aimed it at Jyn's assailant, having a clear shot to his head, but he hesitated when the guard said coolly, "Ah… ah… Captain Andor. Stay where you are and I suggest you put your blaster away, or I will kill her. The same goes for you, Calrissian. Drop the blaster. Then, I need you to order your men to lower their own weapons to the ground as well. Right now and take several steps back."

Both the Rebel Captain and Lando glared at him while they did as the man holding Jyn ordered for the moment, then the city's leader spoke up again saying, "Let me guess. You're not really one of my best officers… are you? You're that bounty hunter who's been making trouble in my city all in effort to kidnap my new friend here."

"That's exactly right," Galgodoc replied when his disguise vanished to reveal his true self and kept his eyes trained between the two men more threatening than the rest until he turned his gaze solely on Cassian. "You're quite the prize, Captain. A Rebel Intelligence Officer. A friend of my own is looking forward to meeting you. I suggest you come along willingly, or I will kill this woman who fought so hard to save you."

"No… Cassian don't!" Jyn shouted fearfully until the lash suddenly tightened, causing her to gasp in pain.

Cassian glared at him while he asked coldly, "How do I know you won't just kill her anyway?"

The Rodian smiled as he took several steps away from Jyn to show them he didn't need to hold his hostage against him to threaten her as the lash stayed wrapped around her throat, then he answered, "I give you my word that I will release her once we are safely onboard my ship and I'm free to leave the this cursed planet. But I assure you, only I can release her. Kill me, which I don't doubt you have the strength and skill to do, and she still dies. Try to rescue Captain Andor before I can get away, she dies."

"Do as he says," Cassian stated curtly as he glanced over at Lando, then turned back to the assailant. "I won't risk Jyn's life any further."

"That's very noble of you," Galgodoc responded, then moved to stand in front of Cassian and pointed his blaster between his eyes before motioning to him to walk in front of him as they headed towards the bounty hunter's ship now at a landing pad closest to the tower, already prepared for him to take off until he paused a moment to look back at Jyn once again. "I'm warning you, girl… don't move and in a few minutes you'll be just fine. Try to come after me to try to save him, and he will be the one to pay for your inability to understand my threat."

Cassian quickly turned to his abductor as he pleaded firmly, "Just release her now so that I'll know you won't go back on your word the moment we leave. I won't try to escape. Nor will she attempt to stop you from taking me. She knows better than to allow her emotions to get the better of her. You have my word."

The bounty hunter looked into the Rebel's eyes to read him for any sign of deceit and when he saw none, he replied, "Very well. I'll release her. I can be reasonable."

"Are you alright?" Lando immediately asked Jyn as he rushed to her side when the lash from around her throat finally loosened, then fell to the ground in front of her as she doubled over in pain and gasped for air.

"Yes," she answered while she struggled to look up at Cassian as they locked eyes, then he gave her a sad smile before the Rodian grabbed hold of him and shoved his prisoner forward. "Cassian… I'll find you. I will find you!"

Once they boarded the bounty hunter's ship, Galgodoc pushed the Rebel down into one of the few seats and pulled a pair of stun cuffs from his bag of supplies and gear kept onboard, locked them around Cassian's wrists, then raised his arms above his head to attach the cuffs to the bracket on the wall behind him to keep the captive from trying to get free. Cassian felt agony as the pain from the burn in his side and his newly healed, yet sore ribs flared under the strain of his arms being pulled above him. However, he kept quiet and refused to give his captor any sense of satisfaction in seeing his pain. When he made sure that the Rebel was secure, the bounty hunter moved into the cockpit and finally got his ship into the air and flew off, without interference from the city's security as his prisoner promised.

Meanwhile, Lando had to hold Jyn back as she was forced to watch Cassian being led away by the bounty hunter looking to sell him to the Empire, the fascist government truly responsible for all of her pain as well as his. She had told Saw Gerrera when she first saw him again on Jedha that she blamed the Alliance for everything. But the moment she said it, she realized it was a lie. Krennic, who was an Imperial Officer, was there when her mother and father were killed and the Director had taken her father from her when she was too young just as she was seeing her friend being taken away. All of this was because of people involved or who supported the Empire. Now Jyn was already losing the one person she had left in her life all over again after fighting so hard to keep him alive. And what for? Just so that he could end up the Empire's latest prisoner and a weapon against the Rebellion he's fought for his entire life?

When she watched the ship fly away until it disappeared from sight, Jyn pulled away from the leader holding her as she said forcefully, "We have to go after them, after Cassian. He only said for us not to stop the bounty hunter from leaving this planet. Nothing was said about what happens next. I have to find him."

Lando looked at her regretfully as he responded, "I know that you want to help him. I do too, I swear. But Jyn… I can't just leave my people and my life here on Cloud City to fly off on a mission to find one man, no matter who he is. Especially not when the Empire's involved. I am the leader here. My responsibility is to my people."

"You're just being a coward," she retorted cruelly as she turned around to look the man she thought was a friend in the eye. "I understand how much I'm asking, but I can't just let that Rodian take him to be sold and to become a prisoner… or worse. I can't let what happened to my father, happen to Cassian too. Please help me save him."

"I might not be able to, but surely the Alliance can," Lando replied. "Contact them. Let them know that you and Captain Andor both survived and ask them to send someone to come get you."

Jyn shook her head as she answered, "I can't trust that the Rebel Council or General Draven… someone I met while with the Alliance, won't come to the conclusion that Cassian is nothing more than a liability to them now that he's a prisoner of war. I need to find someone in Cloud City who would be willing to fly me out of here and to help me get him back. If I have to, I'll pay them to do it. I may not have money, but I do have something else that is valuable."

With skepticism, the Baron Administrator responded, "You mean that crystal you're wearing around your neck? You can't do that."

"Why not?" she asked curtly.

"Because, not only can I tell that it means a lot more than the value of money to you, but because it could create havoc if the wrong people learn that someone in the city has a kyber crystal in their possession," Lando replied. "There's another way. We'll find it."


	13. Chapter 13

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Thirteen

Lobot led the rest of the security officers inside, while Jyn stormed after them in anger with Lando close behind as he asked, "What exactly do you mean about Captain Andor being a liability? And this… General Draven? Why do you distrust the Alliance so much, when you trust one of its spies as much as you do?"

When they walked into what appeared to be one of the city's most lavish apartments, Jyn looked around the room in confusion for a few moments and then looked at the room in confusion as she questioned curtly, "What are we doing here? I don't have time to relax."

"You do while we talk this through and try to come up with a more reliable solution than what you've already come up with," the Baron Administrator calmly responded, while motioning the young woman to have a seat on the couch beside him. "Now, what about your distrust in the rest of the Alliance and this General you're so angry with?"

"Draven is… was Cassian's superior within the Rebellion," she answered finally, sitting down as Lando requested if only to try to calm her nerves and anger. "When we first started our mission assigned to us before we went after the Death Star plans, he had ordered Cassian to assassinate my father because the Alliance believed my father to be responsible for the development of the superweapon. But like I said, he was given no choice because he knew that the Empire would only do so without his help and then we wouldn't have the chance to destroy it. Cassian planned to kill my father, but in the end he chose not to. Yet when they lost contact with him, Draven sent in Alliance bombers to finish the job by bombing the base where my father was being held. Not because he knew Cassian disobeyed his orders, but because he didn't know if we were even alive as our ship crashed and they lost contact with us. My point is, if the Alliance and specifically Draven learn that Cassian has now been taken captive by a bounty hunter who is about to sell him to someone within the Empire, they would sooner send another assassin to kill him too, rather than to rescue him. I won't let that happen. It's better that we both remain dead, at least for now until I find him and save him. Then we can discuss where we go from there."

Calrissian nodded in understanding and then replied, "All right. So we need to find you another pilot who is willing to help you more than I can. I'm not sure and we can do that without your suggestion, but without drawing the wrong attention to you and more specifically your necklace."

Jyn looked at her friend pleadingly as she responded, "Surely there is someone you know of who would be willing to help me. Someone we can talk to or who might even owe you a favor?"

Lando sighed and turned his head away from her while he thought for several minutes until an idea donned on him, then he looked at her again as he answered, "Actually… I might just know someone. He doesn't owe me a favor… If anything I owe him one for saving my life once, but it's possible he might see me enlisting him for a rescue mission fair repayment. You see, he went into retirement a few years ago from being a protector to the royals of Naboo, where he currently resides. Not because he wanted to or necessarily grew too old, but because his last charge was killed while in his care and he lost faith in his abilities to remain a protector. There was nothing he could do to save her. I'm sure of it. If he's willing, he can help you. Trouble is, it will take him more almost a day for him just to arrive. Then there's the problem of trying to find this bounty hunter, hopefully before he can deliver Captain Andor to the Empire."

"Can you get into contact with this man?" Jyn asked eagerly. "Who is he?"

"His name is Captain… or just Panaka now," the city's leader replied when he stood up and moved to the room's computer station to bring up his military file, revealing an image of the man's face for Jyn. "He has gotten old. But he's still a hell of a fighter. He used to be a well known hero on his planet, until from what I understand… another one of his former charges and close friend was killed years ago by a man he once trusted and respected. Naboo was in disarray for many years after her death, while Panaka became disheartened and lost faith in most of what's good in this galaxy."

The daughter of Galen Erso looked at her friend as she asked with frustration, "If that's true, what makes you think this man will agree to help you and a complete stranger trying to save a Rebel?"

Lando took a drink from the Charde in his hands after pouring himself a small glass, then responded, "You better have hope that he will agree. Because he is the only chance you have to save Cassian."

"Fine," she answered curtly. "Get into contact with him. And if he does agree, then you and I will do whatever we can to discover where the Rodian is taking Cassian and come up with a rescue plan."

"Do you have any idea what you sound like, Jyn?" he questioned sternly. "You're acting as though going to find him and then getting him back is going to be simple, or that whatever it is we come up with is no big deal. And your life won't be all that's at risk any longer when you leave to help Captain Andor."

Jyn glared at Lando as she spoke again saying angrily, "Do you really think that I don't know how it feels to put people I care about at risk and then to lose them all. I've lost everyone I've ever cared about because of the risks I have taken. But I'm tired of it. I cannot lose Cassian too. If this friend of yours does agree to help me, he will know exactly what it is we are up against and it will be one hundred percent his decision. If he doesn't agree, I will find myself another way to save Cassian. All I need from Panaka is a way off this planet of yours."

The leader smiled at her and then he replied, "Either way, you'll have a way out of Cloud City and to a place where you can find what you need. I'm just sorry I can't do more for you. I'll let you know what Panaka says once I contact him. Meanwhile, try to get some sleep. Or least try to rest while you're coming up with solutions. You'll be of no help to Cassian if you're still dead on your feet. You know this as well as I do."

She nodded as he left her to be alone for awhile, then she stepped away from the couch and moved to stand in front of the room's supercomputer herself as she looked for any outgoing transmissions made throughout the city to the Empire in regards to a Rebel spy being taken captive and put up for sale as if Cassian were a slave being sold to the highest bidder. Nothing came up at first glance, but she wasn't done digging. Surely the bounty hunter had to make a call to someone, especially if he was going to hand Cassian over to the Imperial Governor Lando had mentioned.


	14. Chapter 14

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Fourteen

Cassian remained silent while the bounty hunter continued to fly further and further away from Bespin, and away from Jyn whom he knew would be stranded in Cloud City unless she could convince her smuggler friend or another pilot to help her. The truth was, he hoped she would consider settling where there was so far peace from the Empire. But he had heard her declaration as he was escorted away by his captor and knew Jyn would fight to find him until she either succeeded, or was killed in trying to do so. That worried him more than his own welfare.

"So, your friend called you Captain Andor," Galgodoc said callously, finally breaking the silence that had fallen over the two men within the V-19 Torrent he had stolen long ago, when he set the ship to fly itself, then moved away from the cockpit in order to sit down across from his latest bounty. "Cassian Andor. I would ask you to tell me more about what makes you so qualified to be an Intelligence Officer with the Rebellion, but I know that you won't because you're too clever for that."

"Is there anything you want to ask me about?" the Rodian continued when Cassian didn't say a word, though he kept his cold eyes trained on the man sitting across from him now as a way of showing his defiance and lack of fear. "Do you want to know where I'm taking you, or do you not even care?"

Cassian turned away as he looked up at the stun cuffs holding his wrists and arms above his head as if to study them for a way to free himself, then he sighed and replied, "I know exactly who you're selling me to. You must think yourself one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy since an Imperial such as Governor Tarkin hired you to collect what he values. But if you think bringing me to him, or that your information on the Baron Administrator of Cloud City will allow the Empire to take over yet another planet, you're mistaken. The Empire is on the verge of its downfall. It is only a matter of time before the Alliance will fight to destroy their superweapon. And I don't have to see it happen to know that it will."

Galgodoc smiled and then responded, "I can respect your conviction, Captain. In fact, I admire it as I admire you. But when I deliver you to the Governor and to his superiors, the Emperor and Lord Vader themselves, you will lose your faith in your precious Rebellion. And then you will lose your life whenever they decide you are no longer useful."

"I have been in hell my whole life," Cassian answered despondently as he looked the Rodian straight on without fear. "Yet I have never once lost hope that the Rebellion would succeed in bringing down the Empire. Take me to whoever you want. I've seen too much fear and hate throughout the galaxy created by the Empire to allow myself to break under whatever torment men like Vader and the Emperor can inflict. I've been through it all."

"Perhaps so," the bounty hunter replied as he stood again and walked back to the cockpit to take up the ship's controls again. "I guess time will tell."

Another several hours passed by in silence while the Rodian bounty hunter continued to fly in the direction of the signal sent to him from Tarkin, and Cassian closed his eyes to prepare himself for the new pain that he knew was to come once he was delivered into the hands of the Empire.

However, when the V-19 Torrent fell out of hyperspace upon arriving where Galgodoc was supposed to meet up with the space station where the Governor was residing, there was no superweapon in sight. All that remained within the empty space was flying debris and scrap metal that was once the Death Star, causing his ship to shake as the Rodian struggled to fly through it all. Much to the bounty hunter's astonishment, the Alliance had succeeded as Cassian said that it would.

From behind him, Cassian called out, "Did you fly us into the middle of a meteor shower? What's going on?"

Galgodoc kept his eyes straight ahead while he responded, "It appears that your Rebellion is more resilient than I believed possible."

"The Death Star… it really has been destroyed," the Rebel Captain stated to himself with relief as he struggled to look out into space through the window a few feet away from where he was being held. "The plans did fall into the right hands and they succeeded."

It was then that Cassian caught sight of the small moon outside of Yavin 4 that had been his only home for as long as he could remember and that somehow the Empire had discovered the location of the secret Alliance base. That they had been close to destroying them as their superweapon had destroyed both Jedha and Scarif.

Cassian also understood then that even though the Rebellion had succeeded in taking out the Death Star, it didn't mean that the Empire was defeated and therefore the Alliance would be forced to leave Yavin and find themselves a new Rebel base which Cassian knew he would never see.

"You and the rest of your rebels have just cost me the substantial price I was about to make for your head," Galgodoc said coldly once he flew clear of the rubble and then stepped away from the cockpit to stand in front of Cassian again, shoving the Captain roughly against the wall of the ship behind him as he held him there by his throat.

The action was hurting him, but Cassian refused to let his captor know it, as he glared at the Rodian in defiance while he continued, "It appears I'm going to have to find someone else within the Empire who will be willing to pay for you just as much. And I will."

Cassian answered when Galgodoc finally released him and stepped back, "As I said, I don't care. I always knew my life would end in the service of the Rebellion. Today, or a few years from now, it doesn't matter. At least I can die knowing the Alliance won a victory over the Empire."

"Act brave all you want, Captain Andor," the Rodian stated smugly. "But your defiance will disappear eventually, when you learn you will be a prisoner of the Empire for however long they decide that your life will continue to be under your own control. And then either you'll be dead, or you will become one of them. I've seen men like you turn before."

"I'll die first," Cassian retorted angrily.


	15. Chapter 15

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Fifteen

After Lando left Jyn alone in his quarters, he walked back to the control room and began to type so he could try to make contact with Captain Panaka of Naboo. When the man didn't answer the signal at first, Lando slammed his fist against the console and sat back against the chair he was sitting in with frustration.

Lobot walked into the room as his oldest friend did so and when the man with the cybernetic implants sat down in the chair beside him, he pushed a couple of buttons on his data pad once again, then spoke through the computer in front of them saying, "You are allowing this mess with the young Rebel to get in the way of the rest of your duties to our people. It isn't like you."

The Baron Administrator kept his eyes on the console while he answered, "If I don't help her, what kind of leader would that make me?"

"Don't take me wrong," the other man replied. "I want to help her as much as you do. I like Jyn Erso. She is a brave woman and she is fighting to save the life of another friend. But if you cannot get into contact with Panaka, what will you do then? Would you actually leave our city to fly her yourself to rescue him?"

"Of course not," Lando responded as he turned his head to look over at his friend. "I know that I can't just leave. The Empire hasn't arrived in our city yet, but that bounty hunter is heading towards one of its most powerful leaders and soon Tarkin will learn that I've tried to help two rebels who started an attack against them. If I leave and Imperials were to arrive while I'm gone, our people would see me as a traitor."

Lobot nodded, then he answered, "Order one of our pilots to take her out of Cloud City and then drop her off on the closest planet also not under Imperial law. From there, she can find another pilot and men to help her fight against the Empire. Surely you have done all you can."

Lando shook his head in frustration as he replied, "I know I should. But it's wrong to just drop her off on some unfamiliar planet where she'll have to fight through criminals, gangsters, and thieves to find someone who would be willing to help her fight another battle she will most likely lose this time. She was lucky once. Saw Gerrera did that to her. She doesn't deserve to have that to happen to her again."

"Maybe you won't have to send her off alone, if you can convince Panaka to join her fight," his friend responded. "Call him again."

"Keep your fingers crossed," the leader answered, then did as Lobot suggested and this time a holographic image of the former Captain appeared when their signals connected.

Panaka spoke first as he said, "It's been a long time, Calrissian. But it's good to hear from you again anyways."

Lando smiled and replied, "The same goes for you. Listen, I hate to jump right into the real reason why we're talking. But I have an urgent matter going on here and I could really use your help."

"I don't understand," he responded in confusion. "Unless you're looking for advice, I know you know I'm long since retired."

"You're right, I do know that," the Baron Administrator answered calmly. "I wouldn't come to you, unless I had any other choice and I can't do what I need myself. It's a rescue mission for another friend of mine. Someone she cares about was taken by a bounty hunter who is about to hand him over to the Empire. But I can't leave my people without a leader, without someone they look to and trust to protect them from the Empire."

Panaka asked suspiciously, "Why is he so important that you would seek out someone who would be crazy enough to risk everything to just to save them? Is it just as a favor for a friend? Lando, we all have people we've loved and lost to the Empire, whether they were imprisoned or killed. Sure, there are people that do defy the Empire outright, but they all belong to the Rebellion. Surely you can go to them to ask for help."

Lando shook his head and then he replied, "I wish I could. The problem is that this man who was taken, he is a part of the Rebellion. The trouble is, he contains valuable information and my friend is afraid that if the Alliance were to discover he's been taken, then they'll send someone to kill him before he can talk. They also believe he and my friend are both dead. That's why I need you, Panaka."

"You're asking a lot and I'm old," the former Captain responded curtly. "I may hate the Empire, but two people can't fight against it for the sake of one man. I'm sorry. I can't help you."

"Do you really believe that she would say no to helping someone who has risked everything to fight against the Emperor by going up against his government?" Cloud City's leader asked regretfully, knowing that doing so was a low blow considering who he meant by 'she'.

Panaka glared at him as he answered angrily, "Bringing up Padme and reminding me of my guilt over not being there to protect her from the monster who killed her is a rotten thing to do. You're right, she probably would have agreed to help this friend of yours. And back then, I would have happily joined her without question. But things are different now. I am not that man I was then."

Lando nodded and replied, "I know and I'm sorry. But I assure you, my friend is a hell of a warrior and strategist. She'll do most of the fighting and heavy lifting. All she really needs is someone willing to be her pilot."

"All right," he stated finally with frustration. "I'll help her. It's going to take me some time to arrive in Cloud City, but I'll be there as soon as I can. I do have one more question for you though. Who is she? Why reach out to anyone to help her? Something tells me that if I didn't agree, you would go yourself."

"She's not exactly a part of the Alliance, but she is a hero to their Rebellion," the leader steadfastly responded. "And so is the man you'll be helping her to save. You have made the right decision, Panaka. Senator Amidala would be proud of you."


	16. Chapter 16

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Sixteen

Galgodoc took a few minutes to think about his next course of action as he jumped his ship back into hyperspace, while Cassian remained quiet as he had done until the bounty hunter first provoked him to talk. He finally sent out multiple transmissions in all directions in search of any Imperial ships letting those with the Empire know of the bounty in his possession. No replies came back for hours, until one did. A decrypted message came through from a super Star Destroyer only a few hours away giving him permission to come aboard when he arrived.

When he arrived at the coordinates sent to him from the Imperial ship, the Rodian allowed them to pull the V-19 Torrent in and after it touched down within the Destroyer's docking bay, Galgodoc stepped down from the ramp as he escorted his prisoner who still wore the stun cuffs first placed on him back on Cloud City. A number of Imperial soldiers and their leaders stood by waiting, while Darth Vader walked into the bay moments afterwards and first stood in front of the bounty hunter without so much as casting his eyes on Cassian.

"Your transmission came to us from off of Yavin 4," Vader said to Galgodoc intimidatingly, though the Rodian appeared seemingly unafraid. "It's no coincidence you arrived there shortly after the destruction of the Empire's space station, then called out to us claiming you have a single Rebel you wish to sell for hefty price. Were you in contact with Governor Tarkin?"

"Tarkin sent me to Cloud City to gather information and what I found was much more than answers to his questions," he responded smugly. "When I arrived where he requested I meet up with him, I found that your superweapon… Yes, I know enough about it to know that what the rebels destroyed was more than a space station… I found that your superweapon had been destroyed, along with the Imperial who had the payment I asked for this Rebel."

Vader glanced over at Cassian who kept his eyes trained on the Sith Lord, then turned back to the bounty hunter and replied, "And what makes your prisoner worth whatever price the Governor of the Empire was willing to pay for him?"

Galgodoc answered, "This is Captain Cassian Andor. He is a Rebel Intelligence Officer and a survivor of the battle on Scarif after it was destroyed by your weapon's blast. I don't doubt that the knowledge he possesses could have the potential to help you strike back against the Alliance, even take it down once and for all."

"I don't need you to tell me what the possibilities of taking one man with knowledge such as his are," the Emperor's right hand responded cruelly as he suddenly lifted the Rodian into the air before him, using the Force to choke him until his neck snapped and then dropped him callously to the floor.

"Take his body away, then get back to whatever tasks you were doing before the interruption," he continued, turning to the security officers surrounding him and their latest prisoner, then finally turned his attention on Cassian. "Captain Cassian Andor, Rebel Intelligence Officer with the Alliance. So, you are one of the brave rebels who snuck down on Scarif to steal the plans of the Death Star for your precious Rebellion. Then, you abandoned them once your part in the plan was complete and left them to die when our superweapon fired on the Imperial base…"

Vader read Cassian's thoughts while he struggled against the invasion he felt within his mind and then the Sith Lord added, "No. You don't abandon them. You shared in their fate and yet you somehow survived the Death Star's blast, along with one other. You may be brave and strong to stand defiant against me as you refuse to talk, but your thoughts still betray you. And soon I will get whatever else it is that you're trying to hide from me."

Cassian stood tall when he finally spoke up saying calmly, "I've heard of you. You're the one they call a traitor of the Jedi. Darth Vader. You can do with me as you will. I won't be foolish enough to believe that I won't break eventually against whatever form of torture you can conjure, be it your mind tricks or whatever else you can do to me. But I won't make it easy for you to do so. By the time I give in, any information I possess will be useless to you. The Alliance will survive. And the Empire will fall."

"You are far more defiant than I initially believed when you first stepped down from the ship you came in on," the Sith Lord replied. "I think breaking you will be a challenge as you claim, but not impossible. Perhaps it would be pleasurable for the men onboard this Star Destroyer to have their fun in trying, as you are responsible for killing a number of them on Scarif. And I assure you, Captain… you will not share in what I have in store for you alone. I will discover the identity of the other survivor I sense you're trying to protect from me. And he or she will suffer as you are about to as well. She promised to find you it seems. Maybe she will and if she does, she will fall into the trap we will have prepared for her."

"You're wrong," the Rebel Captain answered confidently. "You don't know her. She's stronger than she appears even without the Force. She has hope and a greater defiance than even I have. Though while that's all true, she will never come here. She won't come for me, because I'm not worth risking suicide for. I've committed too many sins even if it was for the greater good. And she barely knows a fraction of all I've done. But she's about to learn."


	17. Chapter 17

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Seventeen

Lando left Jyn alone within his quarters to give her the solitude she needed while he went off to fulfill his promise to make contact with the only person he hoped to be able to convince to help a stranger on an impossible mission. Security had remained outside of the door to make sure that there was no one else in the city with intentions to harm her, but he understood she needed space and a chance to collect herself for the task she was about to undertake. While Lando didn't know exactly what Jyn and the Rebel Captain were to one another, he did know that they were more than just friends and that they would both die for one another without question from the way Jyn has fought to protect and go after him, and the look in Cassian's eyes when he gave himself up to save her.

However, a few hours passed and Lando re-entered his apartment carrying a tray of food with him, finding the young woman sitting in the chair in front of the supercomputer while she searched for information that might lead her to where or who the bounty hunter might have taken Cassian.

She barely looked away from the screen as she stated despondently, "No thanks. I'm not hungry."

Lando glanced at the tray, then he replied, "I know you might not think so, but you really should eat something before you undertake what you're about to. You need to keep…"

"And I will eat, but not right now," she interrupted curtly. "Please. I know that you think I'm being reckless and maybe you're right, but surely you can understand why…"

"Why you're acting so carelessly," the leader finished for her and then handed her another glass, though it contained something other than the alcohol she had been given earlier. "I do understand, Jyn. Because I would be acting the same way if it was one of my own friends in trouble. In fact, a few of my friends are in trouble. Why do you think I'm still awake and haven't gotten any rest since you and Captain Andor arrived? Don't worry, this time no one slipped anything in the drink to help you sleep."

Jyn took the drink as she finally looked at him and answered, "I thought your friend might have done that."

He smiled with a nod and then responded, "Yeah. Sorry about that."

"No… I'm sorry, Lando," she replied with sincerity and then took a bite of the meat her friend brought for her before continuing. "For what I said to you earlier. You aren't a coward. I understand you're only doing what is best for your people, like I'm only trying to do what's best for Cassian, and me."

"You love him, don't you?" Lando then asked curiously.

She looked at him strangely as she retorted, "Excuse me? I don't… I mean, I hardly know him. I told you, we met just a few days ago. It's impossible to fall in love in only a couple of days."

He laughed and then answered quietly, "I don't believe that's true, Jyn. Sometimes all it takes is a single moment for that spark to hit two people. I thought I fell in love once. Until I learned she wasn't who she said she was. My point is, I know I'm the last person to take romantic advice from, seeing as I'm the scoundrel and the ladies man that I am. But I've seen how the two of you look at one another and how much you're willing to sacrifice for one another. How he's willing to die for you and you for him? They aren't the signs of you just being friends."

"Cassian was the only person in my life who stuck with me when things went bad," she whispered. "He welcomed me home even though we were about to leave on a mission we both shouldn't have survived. I respect and care about him very deeply, like he might feel for me. But it's not love. I don't believe that."

"Because you're afraid you won't be able to save him?" the city's leader responded in understanding, then handed Jyn an encrypted drive he pulled out from a pocket beneath the cape he wore. "All right. Fair enough. Just don't completely count it out. Maybe whatever's on, this will help you understand what you both mean to one another. Captain Andor gave this to me to give to you… in case something happened to him, just before we walked out to the landing platform. If you need help to get into the data stored on it, feel free to ask."

Jyn stared at the drive in her hand while she asked worryingly, "Did he say what was on it, or when he took the time to…?"

Lando interrupted, "No. And I didn't ask because it wasn't my place to do so. Oh… I meant to let you know that I got through to Captain Panaka. He's agreed to help you and is on his way here now. It will still be awhile before he can arrive, so I suggest you finish eating, find out what your friend left for you, and then please get some sleep. I don't mean just rest. You'll be of no help to him if you're dead on your feet."

"Thank you," she called out when he moved to leave, then he simply nodded before he walked out.

Jyn waited until he was gone and then turned back to the console before her as she placed the drive in its place so she could begin working on the decryption. And like Lando requested of her, she began to eat the food brought to her. While she had claimed that she wasn't hungry earlier, she realized it was really a lie. She was very hungry. Her denial came from the same place as her anger over losing Cassian to the bounty hunter, and her fear of losing him once and for all.

"Jyn…" the message began as she finished the decryption protecting the message and information that Cassian meant for her, when a hologram much like that of her father's appeared and then he continued to speak with the same reverence he always spoke in with her.


	18. Chapter 18

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Eighteen

"I don't know if you will ever see this… with the mission that we are about to undertake," Cassian spoke as Jyn continued to listen to the message while she stared at his troubled face through his image in the hologram. "I don't suspect we'll survive, but if anyone does I know it'll be you. You're fearless when you fight against the evils of the Empire and you don't compromise your morals to do so. I always did. I took orders and I followed them while I ignored what I knew what was right. Because of that, I did terrible things even if they were for the right reasons. And I hated myself. But you finally gave me the strength I needed to take a stand and fight the Empire the way I always should have, the way I wish I had. So I thank you for that, Jyn. For helping me to redeem myself if only for last battle I ever fight. On this drive you will find every detail of all I've done to complete my missions for the Alliance. Not even General Draven or anyone else fighting our Rebellion knows it all. I give this to you, not so that you'll hate me… though you should, but because you deserve to know the man I really was. I always knew I would die fighting against the Empire. However, if I should become a prisoner, I ask that you don't risk your life to save me. Move on and keep living. It's what your father would have wanted for you."

When the message she realized he must have made before leaving for Scarif ended and Cassian's image faded to reveal the information he wanted her to have, Jyn shook her head and wiped away the tears that slipped down her cheeks. She glanced back at the screen, but before she could read anything, Jyn swiftly pulled the drive out and tossed it on the edge of the console in frustration. He wanted her to abandon him, not just because he was ashamed of who he was, but also because he hoped that she would be able to live a life that was more than just surviving.

The truth was, Jyn already knew the kind of man Cassian was no matter what he's done and seeing all of his mistakes and cruelty that he hated himself for in detail wasn't going to change her mind about how she felt about him, even if she wasn't really sure what it was. And simply surviving wasn't enough for her anymore. If she was going to do what she wanted for her, she needed to save him first. She could figure out how she felt towards him and him for her later.

Jyn stood up and moved to the bed, then laid down to try to sleep as Lando suggested she do because she knew he was right. Before she knew it, she was being woken up after hours passed when her old friend came in to inform her that the man he had asked to help her had arrived in Cloud City.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly as she stood up and struggled to get her bearings. "But at least you finally allowed yourself to get the sleep you needed. Whatever was on that drive must have been something."

Jyn looked at him strangely and then answered, "We need to get going. I'd like to meet your friend. We need to talk about how we're going to rescue Cassian."

While he led her through the corridors, Lando glanced back at the young woman as he asked, "Do you know yet how you're going to accomplish all that?"

"How can I?" she stated curtly. "I don't even know where he is, or how I'm going to find him. That bounty hunter could have taken him anywhere. He could have sold him to the Imperial leaders onboard the Death Star, or to others on some planet across to the other end of the galaxy for all I know."

"Listen, Jyn…" he responded after he froze, then turned around to face her before they entered the room where Captain Panaka was waiting for them. "Do you remember how I told you I have men out there scouting around? I just got word that your mission to get the plans for the Empire's superweapon on Scarif was a success in more ways than one."

She stared at him worryingly as she asked, "What are you talking about? Are you saying…?"

The Baron Administrator stopped her as he continued, "Jyn, the Death Star has been destroyed, just like you wanted. My scouts intercepted an Imperial message being passed around from ship to ship. The Alliance has won a huge victory over the Empire. You should be proud and happy. It's just that if…"

"No," the younger woman interrupted angrily. "No, Cassian wasn't onboard. I refuse to believe that. He's still out there and I'm going to find a way to find him. But I can't do that here and I don't think Captain Panaka will be enough. You have a number of droids around here. Do you happen to have one I can borrow that will allow me to gather information faster?"

"My friend already has a droid," he replied and then motioned her to walk ahead of her through a door as they entered another apartment where the Captain from Naboo was waiting for them. "Jyn, this is Panaka. My longtime friend. Panaka, this is Jyn Erso. She's a good friend too."

Jyn looked down at the Captain's hand skeptically as he offered it to her, then shook it and spoke up saying, "I really appreciate you coming. I know that what I'm asking you for is a lot to ask, especially for a complete stranger. It's dangerous and probably impossible. It's just that I…"

Panaka finished for her, "You care about him. Believe me, I understand. I've cared about all of those I've ever protected when I was a guardian for the Royals on Naboo. And some of them I failed to save. So, so long as you have a chance to save this hero of yours, I'm here for you. I wasn't going to help you at first, but then I was reminded that someone I knew a long time ago would have been disappointed in me if I failed to help a friend in a fight against the Empire. She devoted her life to trying to fight against their power. The least I can do is to continue her work for as long as I can."

"Thank you," Jyn answered with sincerity. "If you're ready once you've taken some time to rest, I'll tell you everything and hopefully we can figure out a plan together."

"It looks like the two of you have connected even better than I expected," Lando responded again as he patted the two of them on their backs and then left the room to give them a chance to talk alone.

Panaka looked over at Jyn as he asked, "How is it that you managed to convince that old scoundrel to help you? He's my friend, but he's also hardheaded and more difficult to convince to join in a fight against the Empire than I am."

She smiled and replied, "I'm not really sure what I said. But I was told many times that everything happens because the Force wills it. And I believe it. He's been right so far."


	19. Chapter 19

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Nineteen

Vader ordered an Imperial Officer, as well as two stormtroopers to escort Cassian to a prison cell, then had two others bring out another Rebel whom the men from the Sith Lord's flagship had also taken prisoner from the space battle surrounding Scarif. Very few rebels were actually taken alive, most of them having been killed despite their victory over the Empire.

When the Mon Calamari was brought before Darth Vader, the sinister man turned to the prisoner as he stated, "Admiral Raddus. It appears that you have outlived your usefulness. That's what happens when you refuse to be cooperative. And now, we are no longer in need of any information which you might possess, since we've found ourselves a far more reliable source with all the knowledge we will be able to use to bring down your Alliance once and for all, even if this Rebel is more unwilling than you."

Raddus remained stalwart as he responded, "You may bring down the Rebellion now, but there will be survivors and they will rise up once again even stronger than before. Then, the Empire will fall. It matters not if you kill me as you have killed the rest of us. The Force will determine which of us will be the victors."

"You believe strongly in the power of the Force and yet it does not flow through you as it does me and in the Emperor," the Sith Lord answered as he used his power to summon a blaster carried by one of the stormtroopers standing behind him into his hand. "The victory will go to whoever holds the most power in the end. It won't be long before the Empire will strike back against the Alliance with even more power than before and when we do your friends will become crippled, but you won't live to see it."

"Go on and kill me," the Mon Calamari replied confidently when Vader raised and aimed the blaster at the center of his forehead. "I've been prepared a long time."

However, instead of firing the weapon, Vader turned to the Imperial Officer standing a few feet away and then spoke again saying, "Captain Piett… take as many stormtroopers as you need and escort Admiral Raddus and the rest of the rebels we've imprisoned except for the Intelligence Officer just brought to us to their place of execution, then take care of them."

The soldier nodded and motioned for several stormtroopers to accompany him, then when they walked away to fulfill their orders with their prisoner between them, Darth Vader turned to another of the officers as he continued, "Admiral Ozzel, I need you to prepare an IT-O interrogator for Captain Andor. I want to see just how much pain he can tolerate, or if he's as stout and self-confident as he makes himself appear. The information we need to destroy the Alliance is inside his mind. All we need to do is find the right way in and eventually he will break."

"Yes of course, My Lord," Ozzel responded, then he too left to follow orders.

"Lord Vader, I've received a transmission from the Emperor," another officer said before the Sith Lord left the flagship's bridge. "He wishes for you to contact him as soon as you have a moment alone. He says he's looking for an update and for your plan of retaliation."

Vader walked away without another word to the men, then entered his private chambers where he could do as the Sith Lord who made him his second in command ordered and when the Emperor's image appeared before him, Darth called out, "My Lord… You wanted to know our next course of action and I've found a way for us to gain what we need to take down the Alliance."

Darth Sidious answered, "I never doubted you, Lord Vader. It was due to the incompetence of the men you have working beneath you that the rebels were able to defeat us when we were so close. Tell me, have you learned anything from your prisoners then?"

"It turns out we have been presented with a gift," his Apprentice replied firmly. "We have captured a Rebel Intelligence Officer and the extent of his knowledge is indeed enough to regain our power over the Alliance, as well as to destroy it once and for all. I just need the time to break him. He is resilient and foolhardy, as you would expect from a rebel of his caliber."

"Surely you have invaded this Rebel spy's mind to make sure that every bit of you claim is true?" the Emperor asked, sounding less confident than that of his pupil.

Vader responded, "Not only will he give us what we need, but it turns out that this man was one of the rebels who attacked our base on Scarif and helped to transmit the plans for the Death Star to the Rebel fleet. Somehow, he survived the superweapon's blast that destroyed most of the planet and was continuing to fight against the Empire along with at least one other survivor until his capture. I am preparing to have him interrogated for all the knowledge he possesses. It will take time, but I assure you that I will get what we want and by the time I'm through with him, the Empire will once again be more powerful than the Alliance and they will pay for destroying the superweapon that took us over fifteen years to build and reach its operation potential."

The Empire's leader thought a moment and finally spoke again saying, "As I've said, I trust in your strength and know that you will not fail me. You have done well, Lord Vader. Be sure to keep me informed of your progress and should you learn the identity of this second Rebel who you say survived the blast from our superweapon, focus some attention on finding him, or her. I want them both dead when they are no longer of worth to us. And I want to see the end of the Rebellion, once and for all."

"Yes of course, My Lord," his Apprentice answered resolutely. "You have my word."

"I know," he replied coldly. "Because you know what will happen to you if you fail me as your men have."


	20. Chapter 20

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Twenty

"Secure his shackles," Admiral Ozzel ordered firmly while the men under his command dragged Cassian into an interrogation room, then they immediately began to follow the Imperial Officer's orders. "Make sure that his arms are stretched tightly and his ankles are bound. He's about to feel the worst pain in his life. He'll need the help to keep him from sagging to the floor when the agony becomes too much for him to handle."

"He's ready, Sir," one of the stormtroopers said once they were finished, while Cassian remained silent as he stared ahead of him. "Shall we bring the IT-O in?"

The Admiral smiled at their prisoner smugly and replied, "You heard Lord Vader's orders. Do as he said."

Another of the men responded, "Yes… of course, Sir."

The black round droid hovered into the room as two stormtroopers guided its direction and then Darth Vader entered and moved in front of the prisoner while keeping his eyes trained on Cassian, who turned to the Sith Lord when he arrived, but still refused to say a word. When the man mostly made of robotics to keep him alive stepped aside to let the IT-O pass, the Rebel Captain could see a syringe nearing him on the end of its arm. However, Vader raised his hand to stop the machine so that he could begin with the interrogation.

"So, Captain Andor… I am going to give you one chance to answer my questions and to tell me all that I want to know without you having to suffer," he spoke sternly as he looked into his prisoner's eyes, while Cassian remained steadfast. "But if you refuse, I will force the knowledge you possess out of your mind and you will beg for me to kill you as I have killed all of the rest of your Rebel friends. General Raddus and those of his crew who had survived my attack on their ship during the battle of Scarif, were just taken to be executed. You are alone here. And if you still have hope that this other survivor you believe so strongly in will come to save you, I assure you even she is not powerful enough to do so, with or without the Force."

"I have been interrogated and tortured by Imperials before, and many other criminals I've come into contact with on my missions," Cassian finally answered without turning away. "And I've been fighting against your Empire since I was a boy. I do not fear pain. Do to me whatever you have planned. I will fight against your tactics, for as long as I am able."

Vader moved in closer so that he was standing inches apart from Cassian, then replied, "I admire your bravado, Captain. But many men have said the same thing and they never hold out for as long as they claim they will. Yet from the few thoughts I can read from you, I suspect that you just might be different. The anger you hold deep inside for the Empire makes you strong and defiant. How exactly have we hurt you?"

The prisoner turned his head to stare ahead of him as he refused to answer and the Sith Lord began to read his thoughts again despite Cassian's efforts to clear his mind, the pressure becoming more and more intense while Vader continued to invade his mind, causing the Rebel to cry out in agony after several minutes passed, then Darth spoke again saying, "Just give in to the part of you that wishes to let go of all of your secrets and pain, and this will stop. This pain you feel now is only the guilt and hate you feel for yourself manifesting against you because I will it to. But I can make it all disappear. If you tell me what I want to know."

"Nev… never," Cassian firmly responded and Vader finally released his power over him as he backed away to let the IT-O inject the contents of the syringe into the crook of the Captain's arm when the Sith Lord loosened the slack of the chain that bound his prisoner so that his elbow was within the robot's reach, then retightened the shackle again.

"The drugs will take time to work their way through your bloodstream," Darth Vader answered coldly. "While they do, the men here have my permission to make you pay for your part in killing those of us based on Scarif. Admiral Ozzel, do what you will. But I warn you, do not damage him beyond his ability to speak. I want him to remain in one piece. Do I make myself clear?"

The Admiral nodded and replied, "Yes of course, Lord Vader."

When the Sith Lord left the room, Ozzel quickly motioned to one of the stormtroopers to get him his vice of torture, looked over at the second Imperial Officer standing beside him, then finally turned back to their prisoner and said crossly, "You and the rest of your rebels killed every one of our men when you attacked our base down on Scarif."

"We only killed those… we had to when we became threatened," Cassian responded while he kept his eyes closed as if to try to lessen the pain running through him. "Your Death Star kil… killed the rest of your men, and ours. Just as it murdered all those in Jedha City along with Saw Gerrera and his resistance fighters."

"Yet you survived," Captain Piett continued curtly. "How did you and the other Rebel with you get off that planet?"

The Rebel shook his head and answered, "I don't know. That's the truth. I was prepared to die, just as I am now."

The stormtrooper returned carrying a whip and handed it to the Admiral, who tapped a switch on its handle to electrify the lash, then walked around behind Cassian as he motioned for the men to tear away the loose shirt the Rebel wore so that his back became bare. Ozzel cracked the lash an inch away from him, causing Cassian to flinch, but he was strong enough to be able to hold in anymore of an outcry of pain that might give them a sense of satisfaction and pleasure from his torture. This wasn't his first time being whipped, the scars left behind by a lash on his back proving that.

Admiral Ozzel swiftly struck it across Cassian's back as their prisoner tensed at the sudden flare of pain. However, the two officers scowled at the Rebel's lack of response, which fueled the Admiral's anger even more to want to make Cassian suffer. The lashes came again and again as his anguish worsened. Yet true to his conviction, he didn't make a sound.

Piett finally spoke again upon seeing Cassian begin to lose consciousness after being given over forty strikes as he called out, "Stop! It's time we leave him be. Lord Vader will get him to talk. However, if we hurt him too severely, our prisoner may not be able to think clearly enough to answer Vader's questions. We need to let him rest so he can recover. Everyone, out."

"How dare you speak above me," the Admiral stated coldly while the stormtroopers left the room.

"Forgive me, Admiral," the Imperial Captain replied callously, being unintimidated by the man above him in rank. "But you heard Lord Vader's orders. He needs to be tended to before Vader returns."

Ozzel responded, "You may be right, but you are the one who is Captain, not me. Or do you not recall how it is I've come this far?"

Piett bowed his head in respect even though he despised the man before him, then he answered, "It is not my place to say how. I will send for the medical officer and his droids so they can tend to the prisoner."


	21. Chapter 21

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Twenty-One

Jyn entered Captain Panaka's ship he had arrived in and was looking over the droid he had brought with him, an R2 unit he had acquired for himself over other droids he had a choice of because of the durability he had seen in the robot that Anakin Skywalker brought with him on all of his missions before the Jedi had betrayed them all, when the Captain stepped inside behind the young woman he was about to escort off of Bespin to make sure things were all set for them to leave.

Panaka was the first to speak up as he said, "That unit's one of the best I've ever worked with before. It's tough and has even saved my life a time or two. I wouldn't worry about it."

She turned her head to look up at him as Jyn quietly answered, "I only wanted to make sure it has the capability to help us locate Imperial ships. And to help with the decryption of any intercepted messages passed among them that your ship's computer might fail to. If Cassian's on one of them…"

"This droid's in great shape for whatever you need him to do," he replied, then started the ship's engines to prepare them for their take-off while the young woman turned back to the droid, looking at it as though she distrusted his word in its defense. "Have you worked with many droids during your missions before now?"

"I've only ever been on one mission with which we worked with a reprogramed Imperial droid," the younger woman responded despondently, then noticed the Captain's look of contempt due to her lack of experience. "I'm not a Rebel, or at least not one who is necessarily with the Alliance's Rebellion like Lando might have led you to believe. I was only enlisted by them days ago to help them in their latest effort to fight against the Empire. But I assure you, I have fought to survive since I was a child and I'm good at it. I know what it takes. Now, I'm fighting for Cassian too because I owe him. And I will do just that to save him, whatever it takes."

The Captain nodded and then answered, "It looks like we both have our own trust issues to work out. But I am willing to make a go of this as you are. Are you ready to go?"

Jyn nodded as she replied, "Let's get going."

"Jyn!" Lando suddenly called out to her as he came walking down the platform before they left to say his final goodbye, then raised his hand out to her as she reached out to shake his. "You both be careful out there. I wish you luck in finding him."

"Thank you, Lando," she responded sincerely. "For everything. Especially after the last time I came to you for help. I will repay you one day."

He smiled and answered, "It was my pleasure. The next time you come back, we'll try playing a few rounds of cards instead. Both you and your friend. He looks to me like he'd be one hell of a poker player."

Jyn replied, "I'm not so sure he's ever allowed himself to play, let alone to have fun. But I'm sure he'd be happy to return here once we do find him. I'll pass along your regards. Goodbye, Lando."

"Take care, kid," the Baron Administrator responded, then he nodded his head in gratitude to Captain Panaka and stood by to watch as the Naboo Royal Starship rose into the sky and flew off, leaving Cloud City behind.

Hours later…

"So, we're nearing the Ring of Kafrene as requested," Panaka stated reluctantly as they fell out of hyperspace and began to approach the trading outpost within an asteroid belt. "I suppose that it's as good a place as any to begin our search. There'll be plenty of stormtroopers and other Imperials around these parts. It's long since been taken over by the Empire and is now under Imperial law. What made you think of coming all the way out here?"

Jyn looked over at him as she pulled out the drive Cassian had given her and held it up for him to see, then she answered, "I saw it listed as one of the places Cassian had come to for information about the Empire on this. I haven't read the entry yet. I'm not so sure I really want to know what's on it. Not because it will change what I'm doing here or how I feel about him, but… It just feels wrong. He gave this to Lando to give to me in case he was captured or… killed. His instincts must have sensed something was going to happen. He was right. I should never have allowed that bounty hunter to get the drop on me."

The Captain glanced over at her and replied, "It wasn't your fault your friend was taken. According to Lando, Captain Andor was trying to protect you. It's terrible that he had to get captured, but surely it's better that it was him than you. He's a seasoned Intelligence Officer with the Rebellion, which means they won't kill him right away."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" she asked curtly. "I may have some time to find him, but they're most likely torturing him for information about the Alliance and Cassian's barely recovered from our last fight against them. And he won't give in to them so easily. Even if I do manage to find him, what condition will he be in?"

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Panaka responded. "It won't be long before we land. You're going to have to push aside your fear if we're really going to go down there to possibly interrogate a few stormtroopers. Are you sure you're ready?"

Jyn stated, "I am."

The Captain nodded and said again, "Good."


	22. Chapter 22

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Sir, we should really leave now," a young fighter called out to the Senator from Alderaan as the fire surrounding them at a camp they had come to within the wilds of the Outer Rim territories continued to worsen and the flames began to grow hotter. "There's nothing left for us here. If we don't get out now…"

"There are still people that need to be evacuated," Bail responded in frustration as he looked around him until he was suddenly struck in the face by one of the Imperial clone troopers who were attacking this planet and knocked to the ground, while the man with him was killed by another.

Organa glared up at the two soldiers as one of them aimed his weapon and prepared to kill the man before them, when a soldier with the scarcely formed Rebellion against the Empire cried out for him in the distance shouting, "Bail!"

All of a sudden, before the Rebel could reach Senator Organa to help him, a young boy appeared from nowhere as he jumped onto the back of the clone trooper about to kill the man and began to hit him over and over with only a rock after pulling off the clone's helmet until the man was down, then immediately grabbed for the sniper rifle in his hands and shot the second trooper with a direct hit to his stomach just beneath his armor before the soldier aligned with the Empire could kill him. Without hesitation, the child swiftly killed the first clone as well, then collapsed.

Bail struggled to get up, but when he finally did, he rushed to the boy's side after he had fallen to the ground in exhaustion, fearing that he had been hurt saving him. He was relieved to see that the only blood he could see was that from those he had attacked before arriving to save him, except from the cuts and scratches along his knuckles and a small cut above his left eye.

Meanwhile, the soldier who had attempted to come to the Senator's aid moments before arrived and looked down at the child within his friend's arms, though with more astonishment at his ferocity in killing two clone troopers than with concern. Bail knew that look in the soldier's eyes and frowned, then turned his attention back to the boy in his arms.

He laid his hand over the child's face to gently turn his head to get him to look up at him and then he spoke up saying, "It's going to be all right. You're safe now. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," the boy whispered with a strong accent from the world wherever he might have been from as he locked eyes with the man above him until he suddenly fought to pull out of his arms and backed away from him in fear.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Bail replied worryingly, though he didn't try to grab the child again. "Neither of us will. I promise you, we are not with the Empire."

He nodded as he stated, "I know. I heard you talking to this camp's leaders before they attacked you. You are with the Rebellion?"

It was then that the soldier with the Senator spoke as he asked coldly, "What is your name, boy? How old are you?"

"I'm six," the child answered. "I am Cassian Andor. You are leaving this planet? I wish to leave with you."

"Only if you tell us why you would risk your life to save the Senator here when you are obviously one of the children fighting with the insurrectionist cell based here on Fest," the soldier continued harshly. "Warriors fighting in the insurrectionist cells don't care about anyone or anything. They only fight for themselves."

Cassian shouted angrily, "Only because we are given no choice! I had to join in something after my father was killed by the Imperials he was fighting for. I hate the Empire and this cell you just got slaughtered by them was all I had if I was to survive. But you both fight against the Empire. I want to help."

Bail was about to object until his friend stepped in again as he responded, "My name is General Draven. And I can help you. I can help you to become a warrior and a spy within the Rebellion if you truly want to fight against the government fighting to destroy this galaxy and bend everyone to their will. But first, I need you to tell me what you know."

"I don't… I don't understand?" the six year old questioned in confusion as he looked into Draven's eyes strangely until a mirage of a man wearing a large black helmet with black, red tinted eyes suddenly flashed in place of the General's face for only a brief second, then vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "What do you want from me?"

"I need you to tell me all you know about the Alliance, including who its leaders are and every bit of the knowledge you have collected for them since you joined in their fight against the Empire," Draven replied coldly as Cassian's mind slowly began to feel very heavy and his chest tightened, causing him to fall back to the ground while Senator Organa attempted to go to him again until the soldier held him back using a power this man shouldn't have had. "He can't help you, boy. No one can. You are all alone and when we're through here, you will die alone. It is the life of a Rebel spy. You shut yourself off from everyone and do whatever it takes to get what you need, even kill an innocent bystander just to survive. You think the Empire is cruel, I assure you, Captain Andor… you are no better."

Bail spoke up again saying fearfully, "You don't have to listen to him, Cassian. What you're seeing… what you're feeling… this isn't real. None of it. You are not a child, but a man and you are being held prisoner onboard…"

Draven cut him off and then retorted, "You are still fighting against me, as your mind is finally showing you what is true. I am not the General who trained you to be a ruthless killer all in the name of the Rebellion, but I am the man who will get you to tell me everything in due time. The more you continue to resist, the worse your anguish will continue to be. There is a drug running through your system and you will continue to reveal information to me, even if I have to pull every memory, every ounce of knowledge from you agonizingly at a time as you fight against me."

"Vader," Cassian stated weakly, when the illusion clouding his mind finally faded as the Rebel struggled to open his eyes to find himself back within a holding cell onboard the Sith Lord's Super Star Destroyer, his arms and legs still shackled. "If you thought… that by bring… bringing me back to my days as… a child... will help you, you're mistaken."

"You have already revealed little of what I seek," Darth Vader answered smugly as he grabbed a tight hold on Cassian's chin in order to force the Intelligence Officer to keep looking at him, then wiped away the blood that had begun to leak from their prisoner's nose from the strain of the Force being forced upon his mind and revealed it to him. "You will not be able to resist me forever. Even you said so yourself."

Cassian pulled his face away, then allowed his head to collapse against his chin and responded defiantly, "I know you're right. But I won't… make it so simple for you… I'll die before you have what you need."

It was then that Cassian slowly lost consciousness due to the agony coursing through his mind and body. One of the Imperial Officers still within the room stepped forward and attempted to wake the Rebel, but Vader raised his hand and stood up, then turned around to face Admiral Ozzel and Captain Piett.

The Admiral quickly asked, "Do you not wish to interrogate him, My Lord? Why not just reach into his mind and pull it all out at once? Surely your dark magic is powerful enough to do it."

"I have told you before, Admiral," the Sith Lord replied curtly. "The dark side of the Force is not magic, it is power. And yes, while my power is powerful enough to rip all the knowledge I seek from his mind at once, I cannot risk damaging him too severely too soon. He could die before I finish. Let him rest. Tell your men to inform me when he is awake again."

"Yes of course, My Lord," Ozzel answered, then Vader turned and left the room once more.


	23. Chapter 23

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Twenty-Three

A lone stormtrooper walked through the crowded streets that made up the trading outpost in search of any sign of trouble from anyone who might be seeking to make trouble for the Imperials posted there. When he passed by one of the many landing pads that appeared to be clear of the outpost's inhabitants and any hostiles, a weapon suddenly discharged from the far end hitting a target he couldn't see and the soldier swiftly raised his own rifle, then ran past the transports, speeders, ships, and other crafts in order to investigate.

When he came upon the site of where the blaster struck, the stormtrooper found a large hole within the engine of one of the Imperial transports, but before he could turn around to look for the attacker, he was suddenly struck in the knee by another shot, causing him to fall to ground as he screamed from the pain where his armor failed to protect him and came to stare up into the faces of his assailants.

The woman who wore a scarf over the lower half of her face to hide her identity was the first to speak as she swiftly pulled off the soldier's helmet so she could see his real face and then said coldly, "The armor you wear is faulty and it certainly doesn't protect you the places that are the most vulnerable. I have some questions for you, and you're going to answer them for me."

He glared up at her while he replied, "I'm not going to tell you anything. You've attacked an Imperial soldier and the punishment for such an offense is…"

"Death?" the second attacker, also hiding his face stated callously before the enemy finished and was rewarded with a sudden fist to his face. "Believe me, it doesn't take much to offend the likes of you. Now, unless you want death to be your only reward, I suggest you answer this young woman's questions. I have no trouble killing a soldier of the Empire."

"Because you're nothing more than Rebel scum," the stormtrooper retorted and was swiftly met with another strike to his face, then he was dragged further into the shadows so that they would hopefully remain uninterrupted especially from other Imperials.

The woman spoke again even more angrily than before saying, "A friend of mine was taken by some bounty hunter, to be sold to other Imperials such as yourself. Who would he sell a Rebel Intelligence Officer with extensive knowledge of the Alliance to and where would we find them?"

He glared at her as he answered, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Then, if you're of no use to us, we'll kill you and find someone else around here who might be more inclined to be cooperative," the other assailant responded curtly and turned his head to look back at his colleague. "Go ahead, Tanith. Ask this stormtrooper again."

"Wait… all right I have a few ideas," soldier FL-7581 called out nervously. "Look, I haven't heard of some Intelligence Officer with the Rebellion being taken prisoner and if what you say is true, then I wouldn't know where to begin to find him. Not since you rebels managed to blow up the superweapon we've spent over a decade to develop. Most likely, he would have been brought to our leader of the project stationed onboard the Death Star. But if that's true, then your friend is dead."

Jyn struggled to push down her anger and fear as she asked again, "And if… if he wasn't brought to your planet killer? Where else would he have been taken?"

He scoffed and then replied, "How am I supposed to know what some bounty hunter would do with a prisoner you say possesses such knowledge? Any number of people and species throughout the galaxy would love to get their hands on him. Whether it's for the price that will most likely have already been placed on his head, greed, or even for the want of revenge. Those of us with the Empire aren't the only enemies you rebels have made. He could have been sold to Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine, another bounty hunter looking to make a profit on your friend's head himself, or to a man as powerful as Darth Vader himself. If this bounty hunter told you he intended to sell the Rebel to the Empire, and he's still alive, then chances are Vader is the one you'll want to seek out. That is if you have the guts to face him yourself."

"Who is this… Vader?" Jyn asked worryingly upon seeing the fear appear in Captain Panaka's eyes.

"We should leave," Panaka said curtly as he pulled his baton from his belt and slammed it hard across the stormtrooper's face to knock him out, then pulled Jyn away with him back in the direction of their ship.

She followed after the Captain, but before they reached their ship again, Jyn called out with frustration, "You know who he is… don't you? This Darth Vader the stormtrooper spoke of? That's why you were so quick to get out of there. Tell me. Please."

Panaka stopped walking, then slowly turned around to face the young woman again and answered dejectedly, "Yes. I know who he is. Because I knew him, before he became Darth Vader, the Emperor's second in command and Sith Lord of the Jedi. We used to be friends, until I and the few survivors of the Jedi learned that he had been turned to the dark side of the Force and betrayed us all. He helped kill hundreds of innocent people, including children being trained in the ways of the Force and… and the woman once under my protection whom I told you I cared for very much. If Captain Andor really was brought to Vader, then I'm afraid he is lost."

"No," Jyn responded sternly. "No, I refuse to believe that. I can't just assume there's nothing I can do to save him and go on with my life pretending that I never met Cassian, or that he risked everything to keep me safe. I need you to tell me everything you know about this man."

"He isn't just any man, nor is he barely that anymore," he replied, crossing his arms while he continued to observe her. "He's more machine now. One of the Jedi tried to stop him for good before he could do more harm and cut off his arms and legs and then he became burned alive so badly that he should have died. Yet he survived. That ought to tell you how powerful Vader really is. Now he's more of a robot, with power that's only matched by the Emperor himself, although some of the Jedi believed Vader is even more powerful. Do you really believe you can fight someone like that? Besides, not even aliases like Tanith Pontha, Liana Hallik, or anything else will even get you close enough to Vader."

The younger woman pinched the bridge of her nose and then she looked back over at him as she answered quietly, "I have to try. But if you can't go any further, I certainly understand. I will make my way on my own from here."

Captain Panaka stared at her in frustration, then he finally relented and responded, "I gave you my word that I would help you. I won't go back on it now. However, if our search does end up leading us to Darth Vader… we're going to have to find us someone else who can help us fight against him. And preferably more than just one person. We need to gather a team together."

"The last time I worked with a team, I got them all killed fighting my fight," she retorted curtly. "And Cassian wound up where he is now, a prisoner of war in the hands of the Empire. I may have done what is right, but at what cost? I don't know if I can ask others to join a mission that will most likely end with their deaths, just like before. And I'm not sure I can handle the guilt that I know Cassian feels for the number of people who died over the many years he's fought against the Empire. I'm not a soldier like he is. I only fight for myself and now the last person left in this world whom I care about."

"If you can convince others to join us as you've convinced me, then the guilt no longer needs to fall on your shoulders," he said calmly. "If there was a way to bring back Padme and to help save the Jedi killed by Vader and the Emperor years ago, I would do whatever it takes. If you really want this, we have no choice. What do you say, Jyn?"


	24. Chapter 24

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Twenty-Four

Cassian awoke again finding himself lying upon a table within some kind of infirmary and found that his wrists and ankles were still bound tightly. Even if the bonds were loose, he doubted he'd be able to break himself free because he was too weak and his mind was clouded from the torture he's already endured. The room was quiet and he was alone, at least for a few minutes until a man wearing a patch on his left shoulder entered and continued to run some kind of tests he must have begun earlier, without uttering a word even though he saw the prisoner was awake.

"How long… how long have I been un… conscious?" Cassian finally asked once his head became clear enough for him to be able to gain a clearer bearing on his surroundings as he turned his head to look over at the man he could tell now see was a doctor working for the Empire.

"Two days," the older man answered gruffly, then casually turned around to look down at his patient. "Honestly, I'm surprised you survived Lord Vader's attack on your mind. The damage should have been extensive and irreversible, but then he must have known perfectly well what he was doing. Still, you suffered quite the blow. I can only imagine how much pain you're still in right now."

The prisoner closed his eyes as he straightened his head to face towards the ceiling and then he whispered, "You wasted your time trying to keep me alive. Although I suppose if you hadn't, he would have killed you too. What happens now? Will I be returned to my prison cell for round two?"

Doctor Hux laughed and then responded, "Eventually, yes. But my orders are to give your body and mind more time to heal before your interrogation and punishments are to be continued. Lord Vader thinks he pushed you too hard, too soon, especially after the beating you took from Admiral Ozzel. And I'm inclined to agree with him. Unfortunately, the Emperor appears to be anxious for whatever secrets you're trying to hide. You can thank the rebels you fight with for that."

"How much of a reprieve do I have?" Cassian asked again when he opened his eyes and looked up at the physician now standing over him.

"For as long as you need it," Hux replied smugly as a young boy entered the room and walked over to stand beside him.

He looked up and asked, "Who is he, Father?"

Cassian stared up at the ceiling until he closed his eyes again while the doctor answered cruelly, "He's a Rebel and a fool. But at least he's going to help us fight back against the Alliance. He just needs the right amount of pressure. What are you doing here, Armitage? I thought you agreed you would board the shuttle. You have a lot of training ahead of you if you want to meet your full potential."

"I do... and I will, but… there's been a delay in the stormtroopers' departure," he responded nervously. "I'm not sure why, but I will leave as soon as we're able."

"Lord Vader is probably preparing to deploy the soldiers on some mission before they return to the ice planet within the Unknown Regions," Doctor Hux said in frustration. "You'll leave this Star Destroyer soon enough. Why don't you go see your mother. She'll see to it that you're where you need to be when the time comes."

The five year old nodded and replied, "Of course, Father."

The man watched his son leave and then spoke up casually saying, "My son is going to be a leader of the Empire one day. He's already ruthless and willing to do whatever Lord Vader asks of him."

"Your son is only going to die fighting in a battle he won't be able to win," Cassian answered curtly, without turning to look at the doctor again. "That is if he lives long enough to grow up. Is that what you want?"

"Don't presume you can appeal to the side of me who holds pride for my son in order to convince me to help you escape," Hux retorted angrily as he glared down at Cassian, who looked over at him as well.

All of a sudden, the door of the medical bay opened again as a discharge from a blaster swiftly struck the doctor in his chest and knocked him to the ground, then a man Cassian recognized to be one of the rebels under Admiral Raddus' command ran into the room. He made sure that the Imperial wasn't getting back up and then moved to begin to undo the restraints holding Cassian to the table.

As he did so, the Rebel stated quietly, "He's only stunned. I couldn't risk firing to kill because they would have heard the blast. It's good to see that you're still alive, Captain Andor. I wish the same could be said about the rest of us."

The wounded man slowly sat up as he asked, "How are you still alive, Rifkin? I was told all of you were sent to be executed days ago when I first arrived here."

"I managed to break away from the stormtroopers when several of us tried to fight against them before we could be killed," he responded while he helped the Intelligence Officer to stand, then handed him another blaster he had carried with him on his belt, stolen from another of the Imperial soldiers. "I was the only one to get away and I've been hiding onboard this damn Destroyer ever since. But I heard they were torturing a Rebel officer for information about the Alliance. You have no idea how surprised I am to see that it's you, Captain. Do you think you can run? We should be able to escape if we work together, but we'll have to be smart."

"I'll be alright," Cassian replied. "Let's just get out of here and then I will worry the damage. Someone ought to be coming back soon and when they find the doctor out cold and me gone, they'll trigger the alarm. Escape will only be that much more difficult. Do you have a plan to get out of here?"

Rifkin chortled as he looked behind him at the Rebel leader following him while they cautiously snuck through the Star Destroyer's corridors in search of the docking bay where they hoped to be able to steal another ship to escape, then he answered, "I'm kind of making it up as I go. I was hoping you might have a few ideas. It's not going to be easy."

Cassian sighed and responded, "Nothing with the Empire ever is."

"Tell me, how are you still alive?" the other Rebel asked quietly until he suddenly halted and blocked Cassian with his arm when a small squad of stormtroopers marched past them, then they both ducked down another hallway to avoid being seen until the soldiers were gone. "I saw the blast from the Death Star and its eruption on Scarif."

"That seems to be one of everyone's favorite questions," Cassian responded curtly and then raised the blaster in his hand to the small of Rifkin's back, making it clear that he no longer trusted the so called ally.

He glanced back as he asked, "What are you doing?"

Cassian replied angrily, "What did they promise you to get you to turn against the Rebellion? The only reason you're still alive is because Vader and the rest of the Imperial leaders believed that you could pull off pretending to help me in order to lure me into a false sense of security, when you're really nothing more than a traitor. But now you're going to really help me to escape."


	25. Chapter 25

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Twenty-Five

Jyn and Panaka continued to make their way through the streets while trying to avoid suspicion especially from the large number of stormtroopers surrounding them, then she spoke up quietly saying, "Putting a team together is going to take time, which I have no idea how much we really have before it will be too late. And we're certainly not going to find anyone here who'd be willing to put their lives on the line. Everyone here who isn't an Imperial are just like I was before Cassian found me. They're solely fighting to keep themselves alive and that means they'll do anything to keep out of trouble. The moment we mention we may have to go up against Darth Vader…"

The Captain cut her off as he responded more calmly, "You're right about us being unable to find fighters here. This is why we're going to fly back to my homeworld, Naboo. If you're not prepared to talk with anyone in the Alliance, I believe I can convince a few men from the Queen's Royal Guard to fight with us. That is if we can convince Her Majesty to allow her soldiers to join us. They're all good men and I trust them with my life. I can think of one man in particular who'll be happy to help. We're about the same age, but he's also still as tough as they come. We can begin with talking to him. My nephew, Gregar Typho will join us in our fight as well. He once served under Padme Amidala like I did, but she was Senator then. Gregar blames himself for her death as much as I do. He'll be only too grateful for the chance to help make things right."

"Has Naboo not been affected by the Empire in all this time?" Jyn asked when they finally arrived back at his planet's starship.

"Of course it has," he answered coldly. "The Emperor was born here and then became a great leader, until we learned of his treachery. The Empire rose up from Coruscant, but Naboo was one of the first worlds to become demilitarized. Our Queens over the years have formed and preserved a secret army, who are prepared for war when the time comes."

The younger woman replied, "It looks like the time has come. I don't think your Queen will be willing to speak to a known criminal."

Panaka laughed and quickly responded, "There's more to you than what your criminal record might say. Lando also says you're a hero of the Rebellion. Her Majesty will want to meet you, I promise."

"Lando's a known criminal too," Jyn retorted as the ship's engine roared to life after its pilot sat down in the cockpit. "What makes you think she'll take his word about anything?"

"You'd be surprised," the Captain answered as he looked over at his newfound friend and smiled. "Besides, she trusts me and he's my friend. She'll listen."

She sighed and laid her head back against the copilot seat as she closed her eyes when the ship flew back into space, then she replied worryingly, "I hope so. I really hope so."

Days later on Naboo…

Queen Aja Llewelyn entered the throne room as she was escorted by Panaka, Typho, and the current head of her Royal Guard, a soldier by the name of Captain VanClaude Vindi. Jyn sat at the round stone table in front of throne and watched nervously while the Queen walked towards her and the rest of those who made up her own Council, then sat upon her throne.

Panaka moved to stand beside Jyn and simply nodded at her and Queen Llewelyn said quietly, "So… you are Jyn Erso, a hero of the Rebellion. That is very commendable. Captain Panaka speaks very highly of you even though you have only just met. And I take his advice seriously even though he is no longer a Captain of the Guard. I have much respect for him as I do all of my men. He has told me of the dangerous mission you both are on to save the life of your friend. I admire your courage and your loyalty to him. However, I have my concerns with sending some of my men to fight when you do not know yet where you are travelling to, or who you will be fighting against once you find this man you're trying to save."

"I understand," Jyn responded calmly, then looked over at the man who brought her to his homeworld in effort to help her until she turned back to keep her eyes respectfully on the Queen. "Believe me, Your Majesty, I don't wish to put anyone else in harm's way. If I could save Captain Andor on my own, I would. Don't think I haven't thought about doing so a hundred times. What I've done for the Rebellion is nothing as grand as Captain Panaka or anyone else has said and many good men have died fighting in a fight that I started out of want of revenge for the death of my father. And now a good man is being held prisoner by the Empire because of me. He saved my life more than once and I owe him. That's why I can't just leave him to die by Imperial hands. I didn't expect I would have wound up before the Queen of Naboo seeking help. I'm a little surprised really. But I'm grateful that Captain Panaka thought you and your men would consider helping me. If you cannot do so, I will hold you no ill will, but I do ask for your help nonetheless, despite my reservations to do so. Because I don't know how I will succeed in rescuing my friend without men to fight alongside me. My fight isn't your fight. And I can't guarantee your men's safe return. But Cassian is even more of a hero than I. He has fought for the Alliance his whole life with no regard for himself, bringing hope to the galaxy when we all believed we would never have such again. At last the Alliance has a chance to bring the Empire down."

"I'm not sure what more I can say," she continued after she paused to think for a few moments. "Except… Please, Your Highness. Will you and your men help me to save him?"

The Queen looked over at Panaka, then between the rest of her men including Captain Typho, who then suddenly called out, "Your Highness… if you'll permit me, I would like to join in this Rebel's and my uncle's fight. I admire Jyn's courage and she as well as her friend she wishes to save fight for peace in the galaxy. There's nothing more noble than that."

Aja smiled as she looked over at the soldier and then she answered, "Of course you may stand with Jyn and Captain Panaka. Anyone of my guard have my permission and blessing to fight if they so choose. And thank you, Jyn Erso. For being courageous enough to come to me and letting us know of the news of the Rebellion's small victory. You have brought hope back to us all. Go with peace and strength. I do hope you will succeed in saving this man you fight for."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Jyn replied in gratitude and stood to stand alongside Panaka and Typho, as did a number of men not currently on duty of protecting their Queen as they came up behind them, having heard Jyn's plea for their help, then she glanced at the man who has brought her to this point, as well as the others. "Thank you, Panaka. All of you."

"That was one hell of a speech, Jyn," he stated proudly. "Now, let's see what we can do to locate Captain Andor."


	26. Chapter 26

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Twenty-Six

Meanwhile, onboard the Vader's flagship…

"How am I supposed to help you escape while surrounded by Imperials and a Jedi as powerful as Darth Vader?" Rifkin Tafka, who was one of the last of the Zabrak species throughout the entire galaxy, asked in frustration as he looked nervously between Cassian and the barrel of the blaster in his hands. "You're right about me pretending to help you, but it's not possible to actually break free from one of their Star Destroyers. Even if we did manage to get free, they would easily pull us back in by locking onto whatever ship we steal with their tractor beam, or just blow us into pieces. And they promised to let me live if I got the information that you've refused to give them. I have a wife… and three kids. What would you do if you actually had a family?"

"I would never betray the Alliance," Cassian replied somberly, then weakly began to falter when a bout of pain flared within him again from the torment inflicted upon him, but he swiftly raised his weapon back up before the traitor before him could take it away as he fought through it. "I'm tired… and I have fought too long in this war. But I'm not a quitter, not even… not even when the stakes are too high. Now, we can get out if we work together. I have been in inescapable situations before. Yet I survived."

The Zabrak curtly responded, "You haven't explained to me how you survived the battle on Scarif."

Cassian motioned to Rifkin to keep moving when the way finally became clear and then followed behind him as he answered, "I keep telling everyone, I don't know. And I don't. As for whatever else Vader wants from me, I won't give up all I know of my own free will no matter what I'm threatened with."

All of a sudden, the alarms began to go off throughout the flagship and from a distance voices could be heard as Imperials shouted out that the prisoner has escaped. The Rebel Captain was more startled by the blaring sound than he should have been, collapsing back against the wall beside him as a result, then winced and became dizzy when he hit his back. Rifkin immediately took advantage of Cassian's momentary distress as he grabbed the blaster and began to fight with him for it by backhanding Cassian across his face, then kicked him against his left knee to try to knock him to the ground. But Cassian fought with as much strength as he had and eventually was able to overpower the other Rebel when he knocked him out cold thanks to his many more years of combat, even while fighting as he was in pain. Unfortunately the fight weakened him far more than he already was, and escape seemed impossible. Also, it drew attention and it wasn't long before the stormtroopers had become alerted to his location, as Cassian could see a number of them running in his direction from one of the ship's higher levels where he stood.

He finally picked up the blaster that had been dropped, then continued to push down his pain as he kept moving. By the time he was able to reach the docking bay, Cassian managed to take out the soldiers and officers who attempted to apprehend him, some shooting at him to do so. As he looked around at the ships now in front of him, he realized that getting out in one of them would be more difficult than he could afford. While he was a good pilot and could fly any ship, he'd need a short amount of time to figure out how to fly any of the Imperial's and he didn't have it. There was also the worry that he might choose one that needed some kind of repairs or that the hyperdrive might not work. There were too many complications and therefore Cassian decided to head for the closest escape pod he knew would come equipped with its own hyperdrive. At least it would give him his best chance.

"You have impressed me yet again, Captain Andor," Darth Vader's voice suddenly boomed from behind him just as Cassian reached the escape hatch and immediately the Rebel grabbed an Imperial Officer who attempted to strike against their prisoner by his shoulder and pulled him in front of him, then placed the barrel of his blaster against the man's right temple while he faced his captors. "You've taken out a number of stormtroopers even in your weakened state and saw through the lies of the Rebel, whose life we spared and convinced to betray you quickly. But you will not escape."

"I've been wounded worse than this and managed to climb up a data tower within your base on Scarif," he replied firmly, while tightening his grip on the man he was still holding hostage when he attempted to break free. "You know what it takes to keep fighting no matter what condition you're in. You're a survivor as well. And Rifkin wasn't a convincing liar. I am going to get out of here. Because as long as I stay, you won't kill me before you gain the knowledge you want. And I can't allow you to break me as long as I'm sane."

Without a second thought, Cassian suddenly shoved the Imperial Officer forward against the stormtroopers standing directly in front of them with their own weapons aimed at both the prisoner and their own man, then swiftly pushed the button that opened the escape hatch and dove inside the pod. Unfortunately, another of the stormtroopers fired a single shot at the Rebel as the blast struck Cassian high in the back of his left shoulder, a second before the pod door closed again. Vader angrily used his power to choke the life out of the soldier who disobeyed his order not to harm the prisoner, then flung his dead body back across the bay and out of sight, just as the escape pod jettisoned away with Cassian at its controls while he prepared to go into hyperspace.

When it disappeared from view once it jumped into lightspeed, the Sith Lord turned around and said furiously, "I warned you the Rebel was not to be harmed beyond the inflictions already done and yet one of you shot him, and the rest of you attempted to fire on him while searching for him when he was still onboard. It is because of your incompetence that he was able to get away and that he may die before we are able to find him again. Gather a search party together. Those of you who go are not to come back without him, or I will do to each of you as I did to the soldier I killed moments ago."

Admiral Ozzel turned to the Stormtroopers surrounding them, indicated which of the men were to go after the Rebel without a word, then he called out, "You have your strict orders, now get going. And do not fail this time."

"As far as I am concerned, Admiral, the men aren't the only ones who failed me," Darth Vader responded cruelly. "Do so again, and there will be no mercy."

"Yes of course… My Lord," the highest ranking officer answered with a stutter, then watched as the dark man walked away, leaving everyone to go back to their duties.

Within the escape pod…

Cassian finished setting his course for world he knew from his travels was still unknown to the Empire with hope that he'd be able to find himself a place to hide from them long enough heal all the way and perhaps longer, even it meant he would remain on the run for the rest of his life however long that might be, and then he sat back against a wall of the vessel for a moment while he struggled to breathe through his pain. After nearly a minute, he searched the pod for any sign of a medical kit which most escape pods were supplied with them in case those inside are in need of care. Unfortunately, the second blaster wound he took to his shoulder was bad, as were the lashes on his back, as some of them had become infected despite the Imperial doctor's efforts to treat him before. The Rebel leader was on the verge on losing consciousness.

Thankfully, Cassian found what he was looking for and he worked as quickly as possible to wrap the clean bandages around his back and chest, but he struggled with treating the more severe of wounds he couldn't see and could barely reach. When he finished, he knew his own care was crude at best, but at least it should last him for awhile. Despite knowing that Vader was sending men after him, Cassian couldn't fight off sleep, or rather unconsciousness for much longer and so before he allowed himself to drift off, he sent out an encrypted distress signal meant only to be heard by those within the Alliance and within a short range of his pod. His course was set and he didn't expect to be rescued, but should he be found by anyone, Cassian hoped it wouldn't be the Empire first. Finally, he lost his battle to remain awake as his head fell back against the ship and then lolled to his side.

It wouldn't be for a few days, but eventually the signal he sent out would reach Jyn and those he didn't know were searching for him thanks to help from Panaka's R2 unit, giving the daughter of Galen Erso a newfound hope that he was still alive. Unfortunately, she and the Queen of Naboo's Royal Guard wasn't the only one who caught the signal, but the other being after him wasn't with the Empire any longer. Those who warned Jyn of the value placed on the head of a Rebel Intelligence Officer were right and the stakes were more dangerous than any of them knew.


	27. Chapter 27

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Panaka guided Jyn through the city as they made their way through the streets until they came upon a small shelter within the outskirts, then he knocked on the door twice before a man no younger the Captain answered and smiled at his old friend, motioning for him and the young woman to come inside.

The man unknown to Jyn spoke up first with apprehension in his voice as he said, "As much as I am happy to see you again, old friend… I've seen that look on your face before. It means that you need my help with another dangerous mission, even though we're now both retired. And I'm going to tell you what I told you back then. I can't do it. Not this time."

Jyn glanced over at Panaka as she asked skeptically, "I thought you said that this friend of yours would be happy to help us?"

"I may have exaggerated his willingness, but don't worry," he answered and then turned back to the other man standing before them. "He just needs to be reminded he's the best pilot Naboo has ever had. And that isn't an exaggeration."

"Flattery won't change my mind," the pilot replied coolly. "Who's the girl? And what sort of mission dragged you back into the Queen's service?"

Captain Panaka laid his hand gently on his friend's shoulder as they both looked over at the young woman, then responded, "This is Jyn Erso. Jyn, I'd like you to meet Ric Olie, veteran of the Naboo Space Fighter Corps and my closest friend in the world, at least most of the time he is. As for my mission, it isn't for Queen Llewelyn. Jyn here needed my help and after a little convincing from Lando Calrissian, I accepted. She could use your help. I could too as a matter of fact. The short story is that a hero to the Rebellion has been captured and we believe was sold to the Empire. Jyn has been fighting to find him without any help from the Alliance and I've agreed to do all I can to help her save him. I could really use you by my side."

Ric looked at them with confusion while he asked again, "If he's such a hero, why isn't the Alliance lifting a finger to help them? Oh wait, let me guess… they've sent an assassin out to find him to execute him before he gives into the tortures and tells the Imperials everything he knows."

"Actually, the Alliance believes he is dead and me too," Jyn answered curtly, then took a moment to collect her thoughts before she continued to speak for herself. "But you're right. If they were to learn Cassian's alive, they might send someone to try to kill him. I won't risk that. I care about him. It's thanks to Captain Panaka that we now have a number of the Queen's Royal Guard who have joined in on my fight that I know will be dangerous. I have no reason why you should agree to fight with me too."

"She might not, but I would love it if you were at my side, Olie," the Captain cut in again. "We've been through a lot together and we've managed to survive it all. Besides, if you do this and we succeed, your son will see you again in a hero's light. Maybe he'll finally be able to understand that he was wrong. Your wife, his mother died at the end of the clone war and it broke you, but you aren't weak by any means. Now is your chance to get some justice for what you've lost. Help us make the Empire pay, even if it's just for this one battle."

Ric Olie sighed in frustration while he looked between his friend and the stranger and then he quietly replied, "You're right. But I'm not doing this to prove anything to my son. I am going to fight with you because it's the right thing to do. I really hope you know what you're doing, Jyn Erso. At the very least, I like your fearlessness."

She shook her head as she responded swiftly, "I'm hardly fearless. But my fear isn't for me. Only Cassian and all of you who've joined me. I promise to find a way to repay all of you somehow."

"There will be no need for that," Panaka answered firmly. "It's like I've told you. We're not in this fight for some kind of reward, Jyn. It's more of a sense of pride and perhaps even a little redemption that we fight. That's all we need. We all know how grateful you are."

"Just wait until all this is over and then we'll see where we're at," the younger woman nervously replied, "You might not feel the same way."

The next morning…

Once again onboard the Naboo Royal Starship as it travelled through space, Captain Typho walked around the vessel in search of Jyn after he noticed her leave the cockpit alone and finally found her within the mainhold sitting on the floor beside his uncle's R2 unit, R2-D9 while the silver and green colored droid was busy scanning the galaxy as far as it could reach for any signs of Imperial ships and seeking out messages that might contain to the missing Rebel Captain.

She glanced back at him when he entered, then looked away as she returned to her thoughts, but Typho sat down beside her and looked over the droid to make sure it was in functioning in its best capacity and then spoke up saying, "My uncle was right. This unit is better than any other droid I've ever seen. And I've seen practically every model there is."

He paused to let Jyn respond, but when she didn't he continued, "I saw you leave. Is there anything I can do for you, ma'am?"

"You're already doing more for me than I deserve and can ever repay," Jyn answered despondently. "What am I even doing? We're once again flying into the unknown. We are looking for an Imperial cruiser or TIE fighter that might lead us to one of their Destroyers and we don't even have a good plan of attack yet. We have ideas, but they're not any good. They're too dangerous. And if we happen to find the right ship, if Cassian's even being held prisoner on one…"

"You need to stop worrying so much about us and try to believe in yourself," the soldier replied as he looked over at her. "I recognize the look on your face because I saw it on my uncle's face for many years now, ever since Vader's betrayal and the death of our friend and leader. He was never completely broken. But the loss pained him more than he would ever admit to anyone including me. Your plan to get onboard by allowing yourself and a few of us captured is a good one. The rest of the men flying behind us in the N-1 Starfighters know what to do and when if that's the course of action we choose. We won't be able to take down the Star Destroyer or even fight for long, but a brief attack should be enough to allow you all to escape. You don't have to guarantee anyone's safety, but your own and your friend's when we find and save him."

She looked over at him as she responded, "You're too trusting."

Typho shook his head while he said smugly, "Actually I'm not, but I am a good judge of character. I have to be because it's my duty to protect the Queens of Naboo. I trust you."

"What is the droid saying?" Jyn immediately asked when suddenly, R2-D9 came to life as it began to beep, indicating that it has picked up some kind of signal. "Is there an Imperial fleet nearby?"

"Actually, it looks like he's intercepted a message that's been heavily encrypted by a member of the Alliance, a distress signal," he answered.

The younger woman cried out enthusiastically, "It's Cassian. It's got to be. He's managed to escape from wherever he was being held. Can this droid play the message and locate the signal?"

The second Captain replied swiftly, "He's working on it now. Apparently the coding is old and strange, even for a droid. It might take time."

"Leave it to Cassian to use such a code," she stated nervously.

"Actually, it's very clever of him," Captain Typho responded with more optimism. "No Imperial droid has the capability to read it. Let's hope that no one else who might have come across this signal has access to one that can."


	28. Chapter 28

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Meanwhile…

Cassian slowly regained consciousness and before he could open his eyes, his anguish from the torture that his body had suffered at the hands of the Imperials for days came flooding back. However, he also felt a strange soothing sensation coursing through him. It was faint, but it was unmistakable. Finally, he did manage to open his eyes and through the haze that clouded his vision, he found he was no longer inside the escape pod he had been drifting through space in for an unknown length of time, but lying upon a small makeshift bed covered in furs.

He weakly began to sit up while he pulled back the fur blanket that had been draped over him, but it only took a few seconds before his body protested against his movement and Cassian collapsed back against the bed as his head struck the pillow harder than he thought possible. It was then that someone appeared beside him and set the bowl he was carrying down and began to help the wounded man until the Rebel Captain grabbed the stranger by his wrist upon being startled by his ministrations while he pulled away from him.

"I assure you, I mean you no harm," the stranger whispered softly and frailly as he reached out to attempt to pull the blanket back over him, but stopped when Cassian moved back further still until he was against the wall beside him. "I found you unconscious after the escape pod you arrived here in crashed a short distance from here. You were in pretty bad shape. You still are, but if you will allow me to continue to…"

"Where… where am I?" Cassian asked weakly, but sternly while he looked into the being's eyes. "Who are you and how… did I get here?"

The old man sat back and reached beside him to pick up the bowl again, then he looked down at it as he responded, "I am not certain how you came to be here. Though I suspect that your pod must have been pushed or pulled off course somehow. Surely you did not intend to come to this uninhabited planet deep within the Outer Rim. No other intelligent life lives here for as far as I have seen. I too arrived here by mistake. But as you are here now, I doubt it will be long before others discover this world as well."

He paused a moment and then continued, "My name is Drisco Vil Hyde. I am a Muun from a world far away from here. Who may I ask, are you?"

"You can call me Jo… Joreth," the Rebel replied guardedly. "Joreth Sward. I must have drift… drifted in and out of consciousness. I don't know what happened."

"You were a prisoner of the Empire," the Muun stated in question. "You arrived here in an escape pod. I do not know much of the Empire, but I do know this. And your body is in poor condition. Only they have the power to inflict this kind of torment. Not just pain of the body, but of the mind as well."

Cassian closed his eyes against the pain again as he answered, "You appear to know more than you believe you do."

Drisco nodded and then responded, "If you allow yourself to rest here and eat this soup I have prepared for you, you should feel better in a few days. I have treated the wound in your shoulder as well as the lashes on your back. I have also given you some medicine of my own making that is helping your body to heal faster as bacta would. I discovered it long ago."

"I appreciate your kindness, but as soon as I am able I must leave," he replied swiftly while he once again struggled to sit up until he was finally able to do so using the wall beside him for support. "Somehow I need to… get off this world, for your sake as much as mine. The Empire… will still be after me."

"I'm afraid leaving is impossible," the stranger answered. "When I first found myself here, I too searched for a way off. But my ship was damaged and the pilot travelling with me died from injuries soon after we landed. I assure you that you will be safe from the Empire. We are well hidden and there is plenty of food to survive on."

Cassian rested his head back against the wall of the Muun's shelter, then closed his eyes as he suddenly became lightheaded and knew that something wasn't right as he spoke again saying, "I… I feel… strange."

Drisco stood taller as he set the bowl of soup down nearby them and pulled back the blanket that Cassian had wrapped around himself after he sat up to take a look at the few injuries adorning the Rebel's chest and stomach, getting a good look at the scars left behind by the blaster wound on his side, then he responded, "What you are feeling may be just the side effects from the medicines. Try not to worry. You will heal, but you will need to sleep and try not to fight me."

"You did some… something… to me," the Captain stuttered weakly as he weakly turned his head to look at the man leaning over him while he pulled away a few of the patches covering him.

"You are right," he replied coldly, his countenance changing to reveal not kindness, but cruelty. "You will heal and get plenty of rest as you need. But only because I need you to be in better health for what I will need you for. And I'm afraid I am not who I said I was earlier. I was only hoping to learn more about you before revealing myself to you."

After the Muun forced the Rebel to lay back down when Drisco saw that he could no longer move at all, Cassian fought to keep his eyes on the old man as he asked, "Who a… are you? Why?"

Drisco answered, "I was once a Sith Lord and soon I will be again. Thanks to you. I have been weak ever since my apprentice turned against me and betrayed me as he attempted to kill me in my sleep. But I survived because the Force willed me to. Then I exiled myself here until I can find a way to regain my strength. Now, the Force has sent you to me and from reading what few thoughts from you that I can, it appears you have survived an impossible attack by the same power. Sleep now, Captain Andor."


	29. Chapter 29

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Jyn stood anxiously within the cockpit behind the pilot's seat, while Typho stood with his uncle beside her, keeping their eyes on the space straight ahead as it flashed by them. A few of the Royal Guard stood behind them in silence, with one sitting in the passenger's seat to support their pilot. Ric Olie flew the starship through hyperspace towards the source of the signal that R2-D9 transmitted to him as he and Panaka spoke about the old days before the Empire rose into power. If it wasn't for the mission ahead of them being dire, each of them might enjoy being together again after so many years retired.

Ric was interrupted when the droid beeped again and the fighter pilot checked for signs of any other ship around them, then he spoke up saying, "It looks like we may have located more than just the source of your friend's signal. It appears to be coming from a small planet not much further. Since it was a distress signal he sent out, it's most likely that he crashed."

Panaka read the consoles as well, then looked worryingly at his friend before he turned to Jyn and continued, "I'm afraid we weren't the only ones who picked up on the signal. Or your boy had whoever captured him right on his trail. There is a fleet of Imperial ships arriving just off planet, while a few of them entered the atmosphere."

"At least we won't have to fight against a Star Destroyer," Ric added quickly.

"If your men in the ships following us can do something against the fleet, we can go down to the planet's surface and find Cassian," Jyn replied with a pleading look in her eyes as she glanced between the two Captains. "Now's the time. Are you with me?"

Panaka and Typho both nodded, then Ric turned back to look on straight ahead as he set their new course for the unidentified planet, passed along a message to the rest of their fleet to strike against the Imperials ahead, and answered, "It looks like we are, kid. This sure is going to be interesting."

Down on the surface…

Two squads of stormtroopers landed a quarter of a mile away from the crashed escape pod and began to check the wreckage carefully for any sign of their prisoner. When the Rebel Intelligence Officer or his body were nowhere to be found, the soldiers started to look around for any signs of where he might have gone.

There were several broken branches off the trees and planets surrounding them, but that wasn't surprising and hardly much to go on by way of their search, since there was no way to tell if it was caused from the crash of the pod, or someone wounded trying to make their way on foot in search of shelter.

The trooper in charge of the squads called out, "Spread out! We've been given explicit orders to find the Rebel whether he's alive or dead. If dead, we will bring back his body to prove to Vader we've fulfilled our duties."

"He could be anywhere," one of the men responded curtly as he raised his rifle to make sure it was set in the stun configuration, knowing that the Sith Lord would kill him if he attempted to kill the man he was seeking knowledge about the Alliance from. "We might never find him, especially if he's found himself a hole in the ground to hide in."

"He couldn't have simply walked away from this crash on his willpower alone," another of the leaders replied. "Someone had to have helped him, which means there must be a shelter nearby. We're to keep searching until we find him. Is that clear?"

Before the soldier could speak again, a blast from an N-1 Starfighter fired down on them as it flew overhead, killing or maiming a small group standing furthest away from the wreckage while a number of the Royal Guards suddenly attacked them from the distance, a fighter wearing a scarf to cover her head and face leading the charge.

Blasters and rifles on both sides fired as the battle between warriors began. Jyn fought against a number of stormtroopers in order to make her way to the escape pod. She knew that Cassian wouldn't be in it since the Imperial soldiers hadn't found him yet either, but she hoped she would find something that would give her confirmation that it was truly him who had crash landed and not just a ghost she was desperately chasing.

She carefully stepped inside, careful not to touch any of the lose wires and jagged pieces of scrap metal broken off within the wreckage as she searched for any signs that might finally lead her to him. Jyn swiftly spun around upon hearing someone come up from behind her, but instead of it being one of the soldiers whom she expected was there to try to kill her, she saw it was only Captain Panaka who had come to watch her back while she searched. She quickly nodded to him and continued to look through the wreckage.

Panaka struck down two Imperials who charged him and then turned his head to look behind him at Jyn as he called out, "Have you found anything yet? You better hurry."

The younger woman knelt on the seat while she reached down to pull out something that caught her eye, then took a closer look at what she now saw was a small tool kit she immediately recognized as the one Cassian kept tucked inside his left boot. She didn't see him use the tools to help him and their friends escape from Saw Gerrera's prison cell on Jedha, but she did see him use them later on during their flight back to Yavin 4 from Eadu to repair a part of the Imperial ship they had stolen after it had been damaged in the attack they barely escaped from, after their fight. A tiny Rebel insignia adorned the top right corner of the leather pouch. How it ended up there, she didn't know. Yet it was enough for her to know it had been him who had escaped his captors.

Jyn quickly left the pod, then stood beside her new friend as she showed him the kit and stated, "He was definitely here and since they don't have him yet, he's made it out of this mess alive, so far having eluded capture."

She suddenly fired her blaster at one of the stormtroopers who was attempting to sneak up on the Captain, then she continued, "How am I going to find him?"

"Whatever we do, we need to make it fast," Panaka answered worryingly as he fired another shot to kill another assailant. "A small group just broke away to search for him too. I heard one of their leaders give the order. Take Typho and two more of the men with you. I'll stay here with the rest of us and keep fighting, especially if the stormtroopers are backed up by reinforcements. Be careful, Jyn. And good luck."

"Thank you," she responded in sincerity, without having to say for him to do the same and then took off to enlist help from the Captain's nephew and other men.


	30. Chapter 30

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter Thirty

Off world, the pilots within the Royal Guard flying the N-1 Starfighters charged the Imperial fleet per Captain Panaka's and Captain Typho's orders while the rest of the Queen's soldiers led the charge against the stormtroopers down on the surface. Their attack took the Imperials by surprise as they scrambled to gather their men together, but it wasn't long before dozens of TIE Fighters and other ships which fought to protect the officers in charge of their mission to find the missing Rebel counterattacked, as a second battle began in the space outside of the unidentified planet below.

Though the Queen's squadrons were outnumbered by the Imperial fleets, the Starfighters shot down nearly a number of the ships fighting against them before the first of them fell. Unfortunately, their luck turned and the TIE fighters began to take out more and more until under a dozen N-1s remained. The Royal Guard didn't quit as their friends below were depending on them to keep the Imperials busy. And their efforts eventually paid off when two unknown ships suddenly appeared from out of nowhere and fired upon the fleet with incredible accuracy and flare.

"I'm not sure who you guys in the Starfighter ships are, but seeing as you're against the Empire… I think it's time we even out the odds a little," one of the new arrivals called out fervently through their frequency and then took down another TIE Fighter, while the pilot's partner flew overhead within an X-Wing as he took several shots against one of the cruisers firing at members of the Queen's Guard.

"Chewie, what do you say we bring that Cruiser down?" the pilot flying mysterious ship continued while the Wookie sitting beside him roared and fired the weapons onboard the Falcon.

One of the Starfighter pilots spoke through the coms as he enquired, "Pilots of the X-Wing and unknown ship, please identify yourselves."

The second of the new arrivals answered, "This is Luke Skywalker of the Alliance and my friends in the piece of junk he calls the Millennium Falcon are Han Solo and Chewbacca, also with the Alliance. We happened to be passing through and thought we'd help you take the rest of this Imperial fleet down."

"Your timing couldn't be better," another of the Queen's squadron responded as several more Imperial ships were taken down, though one of the TIE Fighters managed to get a good shot off before it crashed into another as the ship's blast took out one of Luke's engines.

"Han, I've been hit!" Luke cried out nervously as the Alliance ship began to fall while Han turned his own around to check on his friend. "I'm alright, but I'm going to crash. Don't worry, R2 can fix it enough so that I'll be able to land somewhere within the planet without blowing apart. The blast wasn't bad."

Han quickly retorted, "He'd better. Don't worry, as soon as we finish up here, I'll come and find you."

The younger man smiled as he struggled with the ship's controls upon entering the atmosphere and replied, "I know you will. Be careful."

"Who do you think you're talking to?" the smuggler asked, almost sounding hurt. "I'm always careful."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," Luke stated, just as their radios cut out after the X-Wing disappeared from view.

Back within the Muun's hut…

Drisco stood over the fire that was heating water for the Rebel lying unconscious again a few feet away, then carefully pulled the cauldron off, poured a few cupfuls into a bowl, and added his remedies in so that he could continue to help bring down the fever within him and treat the remainder of his wounds. He paused in his ministrations as the Sith Lord gently turned Cassian over onto his back and applied a pasty substance to the blaster wound that wasn't much smaller than the already healed wound within his side was, then continued to wipe down his brow and chest with the water.

He stopped once more when two uniformed soldiers broke through the shelter's door, then aimed their weapons on the Muun as he stood in front of them unstartled by their sudden entrance. The men looked past the creature and finally saw who they quickly realized must be the man they've come to this strange world to find. They raised their rifles higher, but before the Queen's soldiers could make their next decision, Drisco immediately used the Force to pull them out of their hands, turned the guns on the men and opened fired. One of the men was killed, while the other remained on the floor of the hut as he groaned from a blaster wound to his lower leg. Suddenly another soldier entered, followed by masked warrior as they both also raised their own weapons.

However, the warrior whose face was covered froze upon seeing Cassian lying unconscious behind the creature before her and attempted to rush forward, but the creature moved between them and used his power to force the masked intruder backward against one of the walls and held her there. The other attacker fired a shot at the Muun, who easily deflected the blast and ripped the rifle from his hands as he knocked the soldier back against the wall as well and caused him to fall to the ground. The gun turned around in midair as it was about to fire again when it became trained on Typho, until the woman still against the wall behind her cried out for Drisco to stop.

When the Sith Lord heard her plea, he paused and then Jyn continued, "Please… we mean you no harm. I've only come for my friend who's lying on the bed behind you. I've been looking for him for days. He's been through…"

Drisco interrupted, "Through hell? I don't necessarily need to read your mind or his to know that this is so. But doing so is one of my many abilities. And I read his. Your friend is with the Rebellion and he has killed many."

"And from the powers you possess, I'd say you're loyal to the Empire," Captain Typho answered coldly, keeping his eyes on the villain before them while he struggled to sit up. "Who are you?"

"I told your friend my name was Drisco Vil Hyde in order to learn more about him," the Muun responded smugly as he stepped forward while keeping the intruders exactly as they were. "But I lied. My true name is Darth Plagueis and I'm the very Sith Lord who once trained the Emperor in the Force until he betrayed me. I was forced to flee and hide from my own Apprentice and everything I knew and loved after he tried to kill me, while he rose up to power in my place."

Jyn pulled away the scarf that covered her nose and mouth to reveal herself to him and then she replied, "I would ask you to help us defeat the Imperial soldiers who have also come to take back their prisoner. But you follow the dark ways of the Force. What have you done to Cassian?"

He looked behind him at the Rebel, then turned back to Jyn and smiled as he answered, "Nothing. Not yet. In fact, I've helped him to heal as his condition was grave when I first found him after he crashed here on this world. But the Force has given me a gift. A chance to become the Sith Lord I was always meant to become and your Rebel Captain will be my salvation. I have the power to bend life to my will and Captain Andor's life now belongs to me."

"Stop!" she angrily cried while she struggled to break free from his invisible hold on her, when the villain stood over her wounded friend again and used the power within him to steal what Jyn knew was Cassian's life force as he drew it into himself. "If you hurt him…"

"Save your petty threats, Jyn Erso," the Muun sneered cruelly while he continued to drain the life of the man he had been tending to until all of a sudden, he froze as though he became lost within a trance of sorts.

The strange thing was, the Sith Lord's power vanished when he slowly walked out of the hut and out of sight, causing Jyn to collapse to the ground and allowed for Typho to stand back on his feet. He helped Jyn up, then she immediately rushed to Cassian and knelt down beside him as she tried to rouse him. She took his lifeless face in her hands as she whispered words the Captain could barely hear, then she looked over his body to see the torments he had been forced to endure while being held a prisoner of the Empire.

Captain Typho also knelt down as he gently lifted Cassian's upper body up so he could pull away the makeshift bandage covering the wound in his left shoulder in order to look at it, then when she saw the lashes across his back and felt the heat of the raging fever coursing through him, Jyn stifled a cry and said fearfully, "I don't care why he left. We just need to get out of here, back to our ship. Can you help me?"

He nodded as he carefully lifted her friend off the bed with Jyn's help, then pulled one of his arms over his shoulders while she did the same and together they started making their way back through the trees and overgrown plants with Cassian between them. They had walked nearly the distance they had come and were almost back to where the fight against the stormtroopers began, when both Jyn and Typho stopped walking upon seeing a young man with blonde hair fighting against the Sith Lord who had almost killed them until whatever force drew him away. Somehow, Jyn knew it was the stranger wielding a lightsaber who had been what Darth Plagueis was drawn to. She and the Captain both stood there and watched as the Muun was suddenly run through by the Jedi's weapon as he fell to the ground dead.

Finally, he turned his head and saw them staring at him in awe and swiftly came running over to help them as he asked, "How is your friend?"

"He's very ill, and badly hurt," Jyn responded worryingly. "We need to get him back to our ship."

"Gregar!" Ric Olie suddenly called out as he and a few other soldiers of the Queen's Guard came running towards them when they saw the three of them arriving back at the sight of the crashed escape pod, then the men took Cassian from Jyn to take over his care. "It's good to see you both are alright and that you found your friend, Miss. Erso."

Upon seeing a stranger with them, the pilot stared at him as he asked, "But who is this now?"

It was then that someone rushed towards them from another ship unknown to them as he shouted, "Luke!"

"As my friend just said for me, I'm Luke," the young man replied. "And that's Han. I'm glad we arrived here when we did. The man you saw me kill…"

"He was a Sith Lord," Jyn finished for him. "And you're a Jedi. Only Jedi have the kind of strength it takes to wield a weapon such as your lightsaber and to kill a man as powerful as that monster was. I know enough of the Force because my parents told me stories when I was a child. I just never thought I would meet one. But how did you come to be here?"

Han scoffed in frustration and then answered, "We were out on a scouting mission, which we should really be getting back to. Don't you think, Luke?"

Luke added, "We happened to be passing by at the right time. Or perhaps the Force had something to do with it."

"It was your idea to turn around and join the fight," the smuggler curtly retorted while he glared at the younger man.

Jyn thought of Cassian again and how close he had come to being killed by the dark Jedi as she responded, "Thank you. If not for you coming when you did… He would have killed Cassian. Thank you."

"You're welcome, but I only succeeded because he was frail and weak," Obi Wan's last Apprentice replied honestly. "He allowed himself to lose touch with his faith in the Force until it was too late. I've only just begun my training and so I was lucky that I didn't get myself killed. Han's right, we really need to get going. May the Force be you, Miss. Erso is it? To all of you."

"And you," she answered and then watched the Jedi and smuggler leave before she finally turned back towards the ship and left Typho and Ric to follow after her. "I need to get back to Cassian."

The Captain quickly turned to the pilot as he asked, "Where's my uncle, Ric? Is he helping the others take care of the wounded?"

Ric Olie looked over at him with remorse in his eyes, then he regretfully responded, "I'm afraid that…. Panaka died. He was killed saving my life. I am so sorry, Gregar."

"Don't be," Typho replied. "It's how he always wanted to die, as a hero."

Six evenings later on Naboo…

"There you are," Jyn said quietly as she walked out onto one of the palace's balconies overlooking the vast ocean before them and worryingly found Cassian sitting on the ledge. "I've been looking for you. You're looking much better than you've been since we fought on Scarif. How are you feeling?"

Without turning around he whispered, "I'm better. At least physically. I'm not so sure about the rest. I'm sorry if I worried you. I was only looking out at the horizon. I never thought I would ever have a quiet moment like this. It really is quite beautiful here. I wish I could stay, if only for a little bit longer."

Jyn placed her hand gently on his unwounded shoulder in hope of getting him to look at her as she answered firmly, "If that's really what you want, Cassian… then stay. I would be happy staying here."

"You think that I'm just going to return to the Alliance?" he asked when he finally looked over at her and smiled sadly. "No. A part of me is telling me that it's my duty and that I need to find them. But I wouldn't know where to even begin looking. Besides, after everything I've been through, between Vader's torments, the Sith Lord nearly stealing the rest of my life, and you coming after me to save me… For the first time in my life, I realize that I want more than a life fighting solely for someone else, as a soldier without a heart and the mind enough to stand against what I believe to be wrong. I'm not sure what I want. But if you truly mean what you've been trying to tell me, if you really are willing to stay with me and help me to discover the better man you see in me, then I wish to remain with you wherever our journey takes us. I'm not used to someone caring about me."

"I know," she responded, then she suddenly leaned in and kissed him without thinking and when she pulled away again, Jyn looked deep into his eyes and saw love and admiration in them that she never believed she would see in anyone's eyes. "I'm sorry. It's just… I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere. Because I couldn't even if you wanted me to. I don't care about the terrible things you've done, Cassian. I never read the file on the drive you gave to Lando to give to me. What you've done in your past no longer matters because you are not that man anymore. I know you did it all for the right reasons. You are a good man, no matter what you think of yourself."

Cassian leaned in closer to kiss her again, but he stopped himself and pulled back as he replied, "Those things I said that night in Cloud City… when I told you I was prepared to die on Scarif and became angry with you for saving my life…"

Jyn cut him off and said, "You were hurting and confused. So was I. But you gave me a reason to fight for someone other than myself. Thank you, Cassian."

"You're welcome, Jyn," he whispered and allowed himself to kiss her once more.

"I could get used to this," she said fervently, then they continued to kiss as the sun went down before them.

The End


End file.
